Ever Ever After
by GA101
Summary: Takes place in mid season 6. Their lives are all changing, for the better and for the worse. Will our favorite Seattle Grace doctors be able to handle the heat? Will they survive the challenges their love lives will cause? - WARNING!
1. Some Endings, Some Beginnings

"Dr Grey!" someone called from behind her. Meredith turned around to come face to face with Jackson, her favorite Mercy Wester. The two had become good friends, and she was happy that something good had come out of this merger. On the other hand, Izzie was still missing and even Alex didn't know how to contact her. Meredith missed her friend and wished she would come out of her hiding spot, wherever that may be.

"Dr Avery. How can I help you?"

"We're friends right? Cause if were not, I'll ask someone else."

"Jackson, you're my favorite Mercy Wester, and me telling you this shows that you're my friend, because the rest of them suck. No offence to your friends."

He laughed

"None taken. They're not really my friends. We never really got the chance to get to know each other before we came here. I was the new guy at Mercy West."

Meredith smiled knowing he wasn't like the rest of them.

"What was it you were going to ask me?" she said suddenly.

"Oh right! I had heard somewhere that your house was like the University dormitory for the residents .."

Meredith laughed

"You could say that"

The house had gotten even more crowed since Lexie and Mark broke up. Her sister had needed somewhere to stay and since her and Meredith had gotten so much closer, Meredith offered her George's old room, finally letting go of the fact that he was gone. On top of her, Alex had moved back in after Izzie left and Cristina would stay at her place now and then when her and Owen were fighting.

"Anyway" he continued "I was wondering if maybe I could use one of the rooms for a little while. My apartment building caught fire last night and there's a lot of damage, but they say it shouldn't be too long before it's repaired."

"Of course! Oh my goodness, can you get to your room? What about clothes and all that stuff?" She was genuinely concerned for her new friend.

"Yeah. It was somebody else's apartment that caught fire, but they're kicking us all out due to health reasons."

Meredith reached into her pocket and pulled out a key.

"Here. Take this. You can have the room next to the bathroom. It's empty"

He smiled

"Thank you! You have no idea how much this helps me. If it weren't for this, I'd be stuck with my grandfather for the next little while.

Meredith laughed at the thought of him staying with his grandfather, Harper Avery, who had been treated here just last week. Let's just say, the two of them had family issues.

"No problem"

-

Cristina was making her way to the cafeteria when someone grabbed her shoulder. She spun around to come face to face with her best friends husbands brother, also known as the man whore, Mark Sloan. She gave him a stern look and finally, opened her mouth.

"What do you want?"

He looked at her, fake pain on his face.

"Fine, I won't ask you then ..."

Cristina sighed.

"What do you want McSteamy" she said in a nicer tone.

"You're friends with Teddy, right?"

Cristina nodded her head.

"Could you find out what she thinks about me? We've been getting closer, but I want it to be a real relationship, but I think she just wants the sex."

Cristina grew wide eyed.

"Something in that sentence didn't sound right. She wants the sex, and you don't?"

"Well, not that I don't want it, of course I do, but I want my happily ever after too."

"Why the sudden change?"

Mark knew he couldn't hide it anymore. He knew someone would notice his sudden need for real love, for something more then one night stands. It wasn't like Mark to admit his feelings, especially not to Yang, but he needed someone to talk to about it, and since she could help, he decided to take a shot.

"I'm jealous" he said more in a whisper then out loud.

"What?"

"I'm jeal-"

Cristina cut him off.

"I heard that part. Of who? Why?"

He sighed.

"Derek..."

Cristina shook her head and a smirk appeared on her lips.

"Stop!" Mark commented. "It's not funny. Derek got exactly what he wanted even if he was an ass in the process. Shouldn't I get my chance?"

"Fine. I'll talk to Teddy."

-

Owen couldn't stop having flashbacks of his time in the war. One minute he was talking to a patient at Seattle Grace, the next he was covered in battle scars in the war zone. But most of all, he was thinking about Teddy. He knew he was still in love with her, but he loved Cristina more. He couldn't stop thinking about either of them long enough to decide what he was going to do with this situation. He should know by now that his obvious pick would be Cristina, but something in the back of his mind was telling him that Teddy was the one for him. Or maybe that was his heart talking.

"Dr. Hunt" he heard a familiar voice behind him. He knew it was her, but he couldn't face her just yet. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"I'm sorry Dr _______, but I have a patient to check on."

He started to run off when she called his name again.

"Owen!" She started as she caught up to him. "I thought we were going to stay friends? This sure isn't something friends do." She was looking at him straight in the eyes and thought she saw a tear in the corner of his eye.

Owen shook his head, and was going to say something, but finally he decided nothing he could say would help with his situation or hers. He grabbed her by the waist and dragged her into the closest on call room before crashing down on her lips.

What he didn't know was that Cristina had seen the whole thing until the door was closed and the clicking of the lock told people they needed privacy.

-

Derek didn't want to be at the hospital anymore. He missed back to back surgeries, the thrill of discovering something he hadn't seen before, of coming up with different ways to get around the needs of the patient. He hated all this paperwork and all he wanted to do right now was go home and take a bath with his wife. He couldn't help but think about her all the time. He knew that he was in cloud nine, and that was anything but scared of taking the next big step with him, but still something was holding him back from calling an architect.

I want to build a house. Where we can live together. Just the two of us. Where our kids can play, can grow. Where we can do all that family stuff. I want a house of our own.

He knew Meredith was loving the idea of building a house, but she said they should wait until they were used to the whole being married thing. It had been over half a year now, and he knew that he was ready for their house, but was she?

Just then there was a knock at the door, and his beautiful Meredith walked in the doorway with a smile on her face.

"Hello there love" he said as he got up from his chair to wrap his arms around her tiny waist. He kissed her softly and loved the sound of her giggles when he released. It meant she was in a good mood. Maybe now would be a good time to bring up the idea of their house. He pulled her up in his arms and dropped her on the couch where he sat down beside her. She cuddled into his arms and smiled.

"I think we've collected a new roommate" she said, hoping Derek wouldn't mind.

Derek was used to having all of Meredith's roommates around, and honestly, he didn't mind them all that much. It gave him a chance to get to know his "in laws" and become closer with Meredith's friends. But when Meredith announced there would be a new addition, he was curious as to who was left.

"And who would that be?"

"Dr Avery."

Derek had noticed that Meredith was getting a lot closer with the Mercy West doctor, but he didn't think much of it. She was allowed to have male friends, and he didn't get jealous like he used to when Meredith hung around with the opposite sex. She was his, and he knew she loved him unconditionally, so he knew he had nothing to worry about.

Meredith started to explain his situation and Derek was more then proud of her for stepping out to help him. He knew she was opening up more, that she wasn't as dark and twisty as she once had been. He liked to believe he had something to do with it. Little did he know it was mostly all him that made her bright and shiny.

-

Teddy was completely and totally in shock. _Did Owen, Owen Hunt just ...._ she couldn't believe it. She was sure she had dreamed it. She was totally in love with him, and he knew it, but he was with Cristina, and her and Cristina were just getting to know each other, to become friends. She knew Owen was completely in love with Cristina and would never do anything to hurt her. So she must have dreamt the whole thing.

But there he was. In front of her. Pulling his scrubs back on.

_This can't be happening, this can't be real,_ she thought.

But it was.

"What about Cristina?" she asked in a whisper.

Owen shook his head.

"I don't know.." he admitted.

She knew that Owen was having a hard time. She thought for sure that he would never talk to her again after this week patient, a woman who wanted to take her life and asked for Teddy's help. It was physician aided suicide. But the poor lady was suffering. And a cure for cancer was no where in sight. Owen had been against it, and she was sure that he hated her now, since Teddy did what the patient had asked. But apparently not.

"Owen, what do we do?" she asked.

"I don't know" he answered again, shaking his head.

-

Alex stood in front of the nurse's station, waiting for his interns when his phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket only to see it was an unknown ID.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Alex, it's Izzie..."

She was crying. Alex could hear it in her voice.

"What's wrong?" he asked, caring to much for his wife, ex-wife, whatever she was.

"I..I don't want ... want to talk... about it .. right now... Can you ... can you come get me?" she asked, now obviously crying.

"Yes. Sure. Of course. Where are you?"

-

Cristina didn't know who to talk to. She checked the board and Meredith had just gone into surgery. She didn't have another person to talk to. Other then Owen. But he wasn't an option in this case. She decided she'd just wait for her person to finish her surgery. She could wait in an on call room for her. She didn't want to see Owen. She was going to hide.

She found the closest on call room, which had been next to the nurse's station. She opened the door and regretted it when she saw it was occupied. The person who was sleeping in the bed was covered with a blanket from head to toe, but she saw that they had stirred when she had entered.

"I'm sorry" she blabbed as she was about to leave.

"Yang?" she heard the familiar voice ask.

"Mark?"

He took one look at her and shook his head.

"You look like crap. What happened?"

She laughed at the thought of telling Mark her problems, especially since Teddy was involved and he so obviously was in love with her. But then, she decided that it couldn't hurt. If he told someone, she already had dirt to dish about him and she knew where to find more.

"Owen's cheating on me. I know it."

He gave her a weird look.

"When you lock an on call room, what does it usually mean?"

He understood.

"With who?"

"Teddy, who else?"

Mark sighed. He knew there was something going on between the two of them. He could tell by the way Owen looked at her that he was in love with her. But he gave those same looks to Cristina. _Player_ he thought. Mark was the expert at being a player. He managed to set three dates in one week without any of them clueing in. That is until Derek opened his big mouth in front of his sisters about his and Mark's double date with one of the three girls. Derek hadn't realized that his sister Natalie was one of the victim's of his scam. She yelled a few times at him then told the other two girls. He never tried it again, that is until he wasn't living with the Shepards anymore.

"I say you dump the loser." Mark stated. "It'll be his loss."

Mark only realized what he said after he said it. He smiled shyly as Cristina stared him down. He didn't know what to do to eliminate the tension. So he did what he did best. He turned on the charm.

His lips came crashing down on hers so fast, Cristina didn't have time to fight back. And to be honest, she didn't want to.

-

While Meredith scrubbed out of her appendectomy, she saw a tear fall down Dr Bailey's face. She respected her mentor even more now that she was an attending, and although she didn't usually get involved with other people's problems, she felt bad for her boss who didn't seem to have many people to turn to at the hospital.

"Dr. Bailey, may I ask you what's wrong?"

Miranda gave her a stern look as to say mind your own business, but fell apart before it made Meredith change her mind.

"I'm sorry" she mumbled. Meredith was in shock. She had never seen her fall apart like this before. Yes, she had seen her upset, but never like this.

"Don't apologize. Whatever it is that's bothering you must be very serious."

"That's the thing. It's not. I'm not even sad, or angry. These are tears of pride."

Meredith stared at her as if she had gone completely nuts.

"Meredith, watching you today, you remind me so much of myself, yet you're able to make it all work. You have a job that you are amazing at, friends that love and support you and come to you when they need help, and an even more amazing husband that loves you more than ever thought possible."

Meredith's mouth hung so far down that she was sure Bailey could see the back of her throat.

"Um.. I don't know what to say."

"You don't need to say a thing. I'm proud of you. And don't ever forget that if ever you need someone, I'm here." Bailey walked out which left Meredith alone in utter disbelief.

-

"Lexie!" Derek yelled across the locker room. He knew where to find the young resident due to the fact that she had mentioned to Meredith earlier that she was off at eight and it was currently eight oh five. He needed to ask her a favor.

"Oh hello Derek." They had moved on to first names now that they were in laws, even in their work environment, other than when being publicly addressed in a working matter.

"Would I be able to talk to you?"

"Sure, what's up?"

Derek looked around the room. There were several other residents, who's attention had been caught by the casual conversation between their fellow resident and their chief. They all knew about their connection, yet they still seemed shocked by the revelation.

"Privately."

"Oh right."

They walked out through the hallway and into the stairwell. Nobody used them very often so he knew it would be a safe place.

"You and Meredith have been spending a lot of time together. She wouldn't have happened to mention anything about building a house?

Lexie smiled as she remembered their conversation from the week before. She had been at the house and it was empty, other than her and Meredith. They had grabbed some drinks and made their way to the living room.

"_It's a nice place your mom left you" Lexie commented._

"_Yeah, it is. But I can't wait to out. Too many bad memories."_

"_Oh… so are you planning on buying a place with Derek?"_

_Meredith thought about it before she answered._

"_He brought up building a home together on his land. It was before we were engaged. I definitely wasn't ready then, but I know I am now. The sooner we build our home, the sooner I get out of this bad memory chamber."_

Lexie came back from her memory to Derek's waiting glance.

"I'm sure she's ready."

-

Meredith sat at the bar, waiting for Cristina to arrive. It was still fairly early, but she knew her best friend had an early shift the next morning so they decided to head to Joe's for a drink before heading home. Her and Derek both had the day off tomorrow, and she hadn't had very much time with her person lately, so she thought it would be a good idea for a girls night.

Cristina walked in, noticing Meredith. She needed to tell her about Owen and Teddy, but decided not to mention anything about her encounter with Mark. She wasn't sure how she felt about it yet, but there was definitely a possibility of them getting together. She knew it was over between her and Owen, and was going to make it clear to him in the morning. For now, she just needed to tell her best friend how much of an ass he was.

"Hello there stranger" she said as she sat beside Meredith and gave Joe her drink order.

"Hey" she replied. She was still thinking about Bailey's confession to her earlier. She knew it wasn't something she was going to share with her best friend, especially since she had been one of Miranda's interns too.

They sat there in silence for several minutes before Cristina finally said what she needed to.

"I'm dumping Owen"

Meredith was caught by surprise.

"What? Why?"

"He slept with Teddy in an on call room."

Meredith was too stunned to say anything. So they sat there in silence a little longer.

-

Alex had no idea where he was going. He was in the middle of nowhere. He had been driving for about an hour now and he still saw no indication of his destination. He finally decided to stop at the gas station and ask for directions.

"Um hi. Could you tell me how to get to Kirksville?" he asked the old guy behind the cash.

"You're already here" the man replied. "This is the Kirksville gas station. Not much more to this town."

Alex thanked the man then went back outside. That's when he saw her.

She was sitting next to the gas pump, on the ground, completely soaked. It was down pouring and cold, but yet she was still sitting on the wet ground, her makeup running and her hair in every direction possible. It broke his heart to see her like that.

"Izzie!" he yelled as he ran towards her.

She looked up and the faintest smile appeared on her lips.

"You came," she said as he picked her up off the ground. She wrapped her arms around his neck without thinking much of it. He placed her gently in the passenger seat and grabbed his jacket from the trunk. He got back in the car and drove back to Seattle, the two of them in complete silence.

-

Teddy lay in bed, the same one she had been in for several hours now, not able to process what had happened. One thing she knew for sure though; she was never not going to be in love with Owen, especially not after that. But she knew that it was going to have to stop. Owen loved Cristina more then she thought possible. He would never be able to love her as much as he loved Cristina. She could only wish it was that easy.

She heard a soft knock at the door, and she knew she had been hogging the on call room. There were people who actually needed it for sleep. But she could care less.

"Occupied" she let whoever was on the other side know.

"Teddy, I know you're in there, and you're not sleeping."

"Arizona?" She got off the bed to unlock the door only to come face to face with her new found friend.

"What's going on?" the pediatric doctor asked. Her usual smiley face was replaced with a look of concern.

Teddy locked the door and sat back down on the bed. Arizona followed.

"I slept with Owen" she blurted.

She was expecting a shocked expression to take over Arizona's face. Instead, she only sighed.

"I knew it would happen eventually."

Teddy didn't understand.

"You knew what would happen?"

"I knew Owen would crack. If only you saw how he looked at you when you're not watching. I'm surprised Cristina hasn't caught him yet."

Little did she know, she had.

-

Lexie was happy she was finally getting a chance to hang out with Meredith. They both had the evening of tonight, which was very rare, and her shift tomorrow only started in the afternoon, so she could stay up late tonight. She was hoping to get a chance to tell Meredith about her encounter with Derek, but she also didn't want to ruin anything if Derek was hoping to make it some sort of surprise. She decided she'd keep her mouth shut.

When she heard the front door open, she knew that this would be her chance to really get some sisterly time in tonight. She was shocked when the people who came through the door were not the ones she was expecting.

"Izzie?" It was hard to recognize her with her hair all over the place. Her usual blonde curls were drowned out by the heavy rain from outside.

Alex gave her a look, not a mean one, but one that said that he didn't need her to bring anything up. Lexie just nodded her head in understanding as the couple made their way up the stairs.

Lexie was still dumbfound when Meredith walked through the door.

"Lexie? What's up with the look on your face? It looks like you've seen a ghost!"

"Close enough", she whispered

Meredith gave her a puzzled look.

"More of a missing person".

Meredith raised an eyebrow.

"Izzie's upstairs".

Meredith's jaw dropped.

"WHAT?!"

She was about to head up the stairs when Alex cam down.

"Don't" he said."She's been through too much. Leave her alone for tonight ."

Lexie headed to the living room, followed close behind by Meredith. Alex went in to the kitchen and came out with a glass of water and a box of Kleenex. He went back up the stairs and when the two girls heard the door shut, Lexie whispered:

"Looks like Alex could be having a long night."

-

"Shepard!"

Derek knew the voice that was calling him. He was almost afraid of it. He remembered being scolded several times by her when she had been in her residency, which was rare due to the fact that he had been her boss. But since she had become an attending, she had harassed him less. Looks like today would be an exception.

"Miranda" he said, as he turned around.

"Don't give me that McDreamy look!" she snapped back.

"Fine then. What do I owe this fine meeting with you?"

"Shut up fool and listen closely cause I'm only telling you once."

Derek's smiled wiped away with the tone of her voice.

"Don't hurt her" she finally said in a much more passionate voice. It sounded like she was about to cry. Derek didn't understand.

"Who? Ms. Sullivan?" She was his patient right now and he didn't understand the connection between her and Bailey.

"No you dumb ass! Meredith".

Derek was shocked. Miranda has stopped bothering him about his relationship with Meredith since before they got married. Why would she bring it up now?

Derek didn't realize he was in for a big surprise.


	2. Talk About Family, Talk About Love

**A.N. – Thanks for reading and reviewing. I apologize for the previous chapter where I had intended on finding out how to spell Altman (Dr Teddy Altman) and I left a blank space. I'll try not to forget parts of my stories in upcoming chapters. Please warn me if I do though. **

**I love the comments you guys are leaving me on how you want the story to go. I'll do everything I possibly can to add your ideas into my story, so continue.**

**Review!**

Izzie woke up when the sunlight started coming through the window. Her eyes were sore from crying, so it took her a few minutes to open them. When she finally did, she didn't know where she was. The last thing she remembered was being carried to the car in Alex's arms. Then it hit her. The memories of those awful weeks back home.

_A few weeks after her encounter with Alex, Izzie decided it was time to visit her home town, to go see her mom. She had to be honest with herself. She missed her a lot. She hopped on the next bus out of town, destination the old trailer park. Her mom didn't__ bother moving out when Izzie did. She was very content in the old trailer._

_At her arrival, Izzie knew it would be best to go straight to her mom's place. It was a small town. If she ran into someone she knew, which would more than likely happen, her mom would be sure to find out. And you don't want to have to deal with her mom._

"_Isobel?" _

"_Mom… "_

_The two women embraced each other like it had been years since they saw each other last, when in truth, it hadn't even been a year. It felt good to Izzie, to be back in someone's arm she knew she could always trust, no matter what._

_Izzie had enjoyed spending the day with her mom and they really got to have a mother daughter heart to heart conversation. She spent several days at the trailer, catching up with her mom. Finally, she decided a night on the town wouldn't hurt._

"_Izzie Stevens? Is that really you?" _

_Izzie turned around and came face to face with one her high school friends. They hadn't stayed in contact after graduation, but they definitely shared some fond memories together._

"_Katie? Oh my gosh!" _

_The two girls grabbed a table at the bar and did some catching up. _

"_I'm living in Seattle. I'm – I was – a surgical resident at Seattle Grace hospital."_

"_Was?"_

"_Well I got fired, sort of, and with the cancer-"_

"_Cancer?" _

"_I had a brain tumor."_

"_Oh my gosh!"_

"_I'm cancer free now though."_

_That's when Katie caught a glimpse of Izzie's finger._

"_A ring! Oh my gosh! Married?"_

_Izzie forgot about the ring. It just seemed part of her to wear it, even though it was a thing of the past. She decided she'd keep it until they divorced._

"_Another was…"_

_The two girls spent the rest of the evening catching up. When it started getting late, they exchanged phone number and had promised they'd get back together before Izzie left town._

_It had been a couple days before Izzie received a phone call._

"_You'll never guess what you made it just in time for."_

_Izzie was stunned when she found out her High School reunion was just two weeks away. Nobody had bothered informing her, other than Katie. She decided she'd wait until after the reunion to leave town and move on with her life. She was here to enjoy herself, to forget about her past, but her past seemed to have brightened her little vacation a bit._

_The reunion crept up very fast. It was already the evening of, and she had been smiley all day. She didn't know why, but she seemed almost excited to see all her classmates grown up._

_She got there ten minutes early, but wasn't the first one there. There were already a few dozen people scattered around, some she recognized, some she didn't. But the smile only disappeared from her face when she heard a voice she recognized call her name._

_She spun on her feet and standing there was Drake Hansen._

_The father of her daughter._

-

Owen had been on call all night, but today he had the day off. He decided he'd be better off coming clean about his mistake with Teddy. He was going to tell Cristina, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. But when he opened the door to their apartment, something told him she already knew.

The place was impeccably clean, so clean it felt empty. And judging from the missing objects a little bit everywhere around the main room, it was emptier then it had been the last time he was here.

He rushed into the bedrooms and opened the closet. Empty.

Cristina had packed up all her stuff and not a trace was left behind.

He knew he was too late.

-

Meredith woke to the touch of warm lips pressing against her neck. She smiled in response to the gentle touch and spun around in Derek's arms to come face to face with him. He smiled when he realized that she was smiling brightly, and he kissed her gently on the lips before resting his hands on her cheeks.

"I've got a surprise for you today."

Meredith was curious as to what he had planned for their day off. They had been having more and more days off at the same time, due to the fact that he was chief, and usually on their days off together, they just lay lazily in bed or cuddled in front of the TV and watched boring soap operas. But apparently today, he had made plans for them.

"What kind of surprise?" she asked, wanting to know more.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise."

"Humph."

Meredith turned her back to her husband and it was only when he tortured her with tickles that she spoke to him again.

"Stop it!" she screamed as he picked her up off the bed and carried her down the stairs. He kissed her on the bottom step, but didn't dare put her down. Besides, Meredith didn't want to be anywhere else then right here, in Derek's arms.

They made their way into the living room before taking a good look at the pile of boxes.

"Dr. Avery's?" Derek asked.

"Nope. Cristina's."

Derek gave her a weird look.

"Owen cheated on her. She's moving out, letting him keep the apartment."

"So does that mean she's moving in here?" Derek hoped not. He loved the fact that Meredith had someone other than him to stand up for her, and he knew that if he really deserved it, her person would kick his ass and he was thankful for it, but he couldn't handle her in their bedroom every morning. It was bad enough when it happened on rare occasions. Hopefully, it wouldn't be a problem for very long anyway. When he has his own house with Meredith, Cristina will have to do like everyone else and knock.

"No," Meredith giggled at the sound of Derek's voice. She knew he wouldn't be able to handle having Cristina in the same house and she didn't blame him. She could be pretty space invading."She's just staying here until she can find a place. She's already started her search."

Derek sighed in relief which made Meredith giggle even more. He swung her around so that she was now on his back, like a piggy back. Meredith wrapped her arms around his neck and they headed off to the kitchen in search for some food for their long day ahead of them.

-

Cristina decided that she needed to get this over and done with as fast as she could. She needed to feel like she was free, that she could end this without being dragged back in. She knew Owen loved her, but she figured she'd be much better off with someone else, other than Mark. She really thought that after the previous days experience with him, that he was different, but the thought of them as an actual couple made her sick. They had decided to pretend that it had never happened.

She spotted Owen off in the distance, alone. _It's now or never_ she thought.

She made her way through the crowd of doctors, patients and families, but he had disappeared. She wasn't giving up though. She needed to do this now.

She caught a glimpse of a dark blue shirt head in to the stairwell and hoped it had been him. She opened the door and her jaw dropped.

It was definitely over.

-

Teddy didn't know what had hit her. One minute she was coming down the stairs, the elevator being to crowed, the next her lips were on Owen's for the second time in two days. At first, she tried to fight it, but it was no use fighting with her own heart. She only stopped when she heard a familiar voice.

"At least I don't need to explain why I'm dumping you."

And then the door slammed.

She expected Owen to go after Cristina, but he didn't. Instead, he sighed and explained that he knew it had been over when he got home and there was nothing of Cristina's left. He was heartbroken knowing that it was over between the two of them, and had come to work to get it off his mind. He knew Cristina would be here, but he also knew that Teddy was going to be here and that would give him a chance to ask her for forgiveness and maybe the chance to start over again. He had planned on letting Cristina break up with him first, he knew she was going to do it, and it killed him to have her walk in on them like that. He was stupid, and he'd never forgive himself, but maybe it was worth it in the end.

-

Alex needed to figure things out. He was still in shock that Izzie was in his room, at home, and willing to let him take care of her. He still didn't know the whole story, but he knew that something – more than likely somebody – had hurt her, and bad. He wanted to hunt down whoever it was and kill them, but he didn't have the strength to watch Izzie suffer like she was right now.

He hadn't realised it until he found her on the ground at the gas station, but he was still in love with his wife. Maybe this would give them a chance to get back together, to love each other like they once had. He missed the days where he held her tight and made sure that she would always be safe as long as she was with him. He missed being there, supporting her and helping her through all the hard times. But most of all, he missed the sweetness of the kiss and the look in her eye when they said "I do" at their wedding. He wished they could go back to that, forget about what happened the last few months and just go back to the way things were before.

But he couldn't.

And then there was Lexie.

They weren't really in a relationship as much as they were sex buddies, but he still thinks that she may have feelings for him. Lexie was a person who fell easily. He knew that. But she knew that Izzie was back, and that the two of them weren't really a couple, so maybe he could just ignore it.

_Yeah, _he thought. _I'll ignore it. For now anyway._

-

"I kissed Yang" Mark admitted to Callie.

"You what?"

Mark had agreed that he wouldn't tell anybody, but knowing Cristina, she would tell Meredith who would tell Derek, and that was the worse it could get, so it wouldn't really make a difference if Callie knew. Besides, that wasn't the reason he was talking to his favourite "female friend".

"Anyway, that's not the point. It's not Yang that I want."

"No, you want Teddy."

"No, Teddy's with Owen."

"But Owen's with Cristina… wait you kissed Cristina and now Teddy's with Owen?"

"No, Teddy and Owen did the McNasty adulterous cheating thing in the on call room and that's why we kissed." Mark wasn't used to being the one who was cheated on.

"Wow, I'm lost."

"It doesn't matter, because that's not my point. My point is that after we kissed, I was thinking about how much it felt like I was kissing a sister – Derek being like my brother and Cristina being like Meredith's sister – which of course made me think of Grey's actual sister, which of course lead to how much I really miss her but won't admit to the fact that I do because I was the dumpee not the dumper." He took a breath. "In which I will conclude with the fact that I want Lexie back, but I don't know how to ask her."

Callie pointed over Mark's shoulder .

"No need, she knows."

Mark turned around to face a wide mouthed, jaw dropped Lexie.

-

"Where are we going!" Meredith said from the passenger seat of the car. It was a little after eleven and Derek decided it would be the best time for her surprise. He had blindfolded her once they got off the ferry and he drove around in circles before finally pulling in to the very familiar pathway that lead to his trailer and property. He parked the car and kissed Meredith on the head before whispering in her ear.

"We're here."

He opened his door and got out, then headed to her side of the car to open her door for her. He grabbed both of her hands behind his back and led her up the grassy hill to where their surprise was waiting.

When he reached his destination, he pulled Meredith in his arms so that she was facing in front of them. He untied the blindfold and dropped it to the ground.

He heard a gasp slip out from her lips.

"Welcome home."

-

Meredith couldn't believe it.

They were on Derek's land, the exact same place where she had built the house of candles, but this time, there were no candles.

Instead, lavenders had been planted in the shape of a house. They made their way all around the yard, representing the outside of the house. They also formed walls on the inside of the house. But this time, the house was bigger.

"Let me show you around."

Derek walked her around the house, showing her each room. The living room, the kitchen, the dinning room, their bedroom and master bathroom, plus various other small rooms like closets, storage and an extra bathroom. But something was missing.

"What happens … when kids come into the picture?"

Her eyes were glowing. She knew it was what Derek wanted. She knew that Derek would make an amazing father and she was getting used to the idea of being a mother, obviously not taking her mom as an example. But she was warming up to the idea of having a few kids running around the yard. More than she had been when she had her pregnancy scare a few years before. Being completely honest, she actually wanted to be a mother now that she had gotten used to the idea of the possibility.

"Meredith…" Derek choked out. He hadn't expected her to bring it up. Of course he had the plans for the second floor too, a few extra bedrooms, a bathroom, a family room and office space, but he hadn't planned on bringing it up quite this fast.

Meredith giggled at his reaction.

"Do you honestly think that the man who would make the most amazing father would not get his chance to be that amazing dad?"

Derek lifted her off the ground and embraced her in the longest hug ever. When she finally got a look at his face, she noticed that he had been crying.

"Derek, we need rooms for kids."

Before she could say another word, he pulled the full house plans out of his pocket and showed her the rest of the house.

-

Lexie couldn't believe her ears. Had Mark just admitted he still loved her? Had that time spent in the bathroom crying over the fact that he had moved on just a waste of time? She wanted him back, she did, but she didn't think he would ever feel the same way.

"Lexie…"

"I… um… well…"

They stood there in silence before Callie cut in.

"Well looks like you two have a lot of talking to do." And she was gone.

"Can we talk?" Mark asked.

"Yeah… Okay."

They found the nearest on call room and sat down on the bed.

"It's sort of ironic that me, out of all guys, would be in an on call room to talk."

Lexie giggled.

"I missed that giggle." Mark grabbed her hand.

"Mark… I'm sorry about before. I'm just not ready to be a mother, let alone a grandmother."

"Neither am I" he confessed.

"I wish it wouldn't be this hard ."

"Yeah, but life isn't simple. "

"Life sucks."

They both laughed.

"Can we just start over?" Lexie asked after several seconds of silence.

"Sure. Hello there, I'm Mark Sloan, but around here, I'm known as either McSteamy, the man whore or the co-founder of the dirty mistresses club." He then remembered that his co-founder was married and that he was talking to her sister. "Okay, scratch the last one and don't tell Derek."

"Sure," she giggled. "I'm Lexie Grey, but around here, I'm known as Little Grey."

"Little Grey, huh? Must have taken a genius to come up with that."

-

Jackson didn't know where he fit in anymore. He was thankful that Meredith had let him stay at her place while his apartment was being repaired, but he felt uncomfortable invading in on the group of people who had known each other since the beginning of their Seattle Grace experience. He was just the new comer.

He had heard Meredith and Derek leave earlier that day and knew that Alex, Cristina and Lexie were at work. He decided it would be safe to explore the main living space of the house.

Meredith had told him that he had full access to anything in the house other then the other's bedrooms. He completely understood and obviously, wanting to fit in, didn't go visit any of the rooms. Instead, he went down the stairs to visit the main rooms. The living room consisted of a few chairs and a couch, a TV and boxes, which belonged to Cristina. He had been here when she moved her stuff in the night before, and had overheard that she was breaking up with Dr. Hunt. _Maybe I might have a chance,_ he thought. He liked Cristina, admired her dedication, but the bossiness just made her a human being like the rest of us. She was nice when she wanted to be, but she chose not to be. He definitely could see himself liking her.

He checked out the foyer. There wasn't much to it, but it was larger than most. When he got bored of starring at the shoes on the floor, he made his way to the kitchen, where he was caught by surprise.

There were piles and piles of muffins, cookies – you name it – and cakes spread out a little bit everywhere. He was even more shocked when he saw who was in charge of the baking extravaganza.

"Dr Stevens?"

Izzie looked up, not noticing the company.

"Dr Avery?" What are you doing here?"

"I'm staying here until my apartment is restored. You?"

"I happened to live here once upon a time thank you very much. This was my first home in Seattle, and my only apart from Derek's trailer."

"But I thought you had left Seattle for good?"

"Things happen."

There was a short silence before the buzzer went off announcing the batch of cookies that had just finished baking.

"Dr. Stevens, may I ask what all the baking is for?"

"Call me Izzie. And I bake when I'm bored. Help yourself to anything."

Jackson grabbed a muffin off of the counter.

"These are delicious. And call me Jackson."

"Well then Jackson, looks like you'll probably be gaining some weight this week."

-

Derek had set up a picnic in their "house" and the two of them had decided what they were going to do with the living room and their bedroom; colors, furniture, decorations and much more.

"What about the main floor guestroom?" Derek asked, as he tossed another grape in the air for Meredith to catch. When it hit her on the nose, the two of them burst out laughing.

"Is it such a good idea having a guestroom on the same floor as our room?" she asked, quietly as if there were people around that could hear her other then Derek.

"Well our room technically isn't on the same floor, and besides we have no where's else to put it." Their bedroom was going to be between the main level and the second floor, a little apart from the rest of the house.

"Fine then. Well I guess we could just use whatever color catches our eye."

"Ha-ha we should paint it lime green so we never have guests over." Meredith slapped him and they burst out laughing at the thought of a lime green room.

"Okay well what about the other bedrooms?" Derek knew the other bedrooms would be decided once they knew more about how many kids and how many boys and girls there would be, but he thought of it as a safe way to get into the subject.

"Well that would all depend on who's sleeping in it. We'll decide that when the time comes."

"What if we used the smallest bedroom as a nursery?" There were three rooms, possibly four depending on whether they wanted two offices or just the one, and he knew that painting them all at the same time would take an awful lot of energy, especially with the rest of the house to do too. But not painting any of them would make him feel like it was just a possibility that there were going to be kids in the picture. He didn't want to think about the possibility that none of them would ever be used. Maybe painting just one of them would make it feel more real.

Meredith smiled at him, knowing where this was headed.

"Sure. We could paint it in yellow, so that way it would work for a boy or a girl."

"Or if we have a boy and a girl."

"Yeah but we would have the chance to repaint it if we needed to in that case."

Derek nodded his head.

"How many kids do you want?" he asked.

Meredith thought about for several seconds.

"Two or three probably. Maybe four. But no more then that."

Derek smiled. Four. She definitely said possibly four. That was the number he wanted. Three would be good, but four would be ideal. If he could have his way, it would be two girls and two boys. That way, they wouldn't have to go through what he did. But he knew he had no way of controlling it.

"Okay" he said, as he rolled over and on top of Meredith. "Since we're talking about babies, when do you think would be best to start trying?" He really was ready for them right now, but he knew that Meredith probably wasn't. It had only been about a year that she had grown on the idea of having kids. For him, it had been a lifetime.

"Maybe around Christmas time. That way it still gives me time to really think about it."

9 months. He could wait that long.

"Okay then. Whenever you're ready."

-

Cristina was on Teddy's service today. The only thing worse than that would to be on Owen's. But luckily he wasnèt actually working. All she knew is that she wouldn't have been able to handle spending the day with him. At least Teddy looked sorry for her, and for the part she had played in their breakup. But she couldn't blame Teddy. She knew Teddy loved Owen and she deserved to be happy too. Besides, Cristina realized that her experiences with attendings weren't all that great and maybe it was time to try someone her own level.

Teddy had apologized most of the morning about how she was sorry for what she did, and Cristina just ignored her, as if she were trying to show her that she really didnèt care whether she was sorry or not. But finally, she decided she couldn't handle her apologies anymore.

"Stop okay! It was pretty much over before you slept with him. I see the way he looks at you. You know him better, you guys are closer. You were meant for each other. I'll be fine."

That shut Teddy up for the rest of the morning.

-

Alex had been worried about Izzie all morning, so when he found a slow time in the hospital rush, he escaped and went to check up on her. When he walked in, he found Jackson sitting on the couch. He wasn't in the mood for explanations at the moment, so he didn't bother asking about what he was doing here. When Jackson looked up from the TV, he waved and pointed towards the kitchen.

"Izzie's in there. She's been baking all morning."

Alex thanked him and walked over to the kitchen door.

When he opened it, the sight wasn't as shocking as he had expected. It reminded him of all the baking she had done when Denny had died. She only baked a lot when something was bugging her, or she needed to forget. He needed to know more.

"Hey there," he said as he walked over to her and took her into a great big hug. Izzie was thankful for the none threatening contact. She had grown comfortable to Alex since she had first gotten her tumour, but she was worried she would never find someone she would feel as comfortable with as him. She hoped she wouldn't have to now.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, trying not to push the subject on her to much.

"Okay."

They went upstairs for more privacy. Izzie cuddled under the blanket of Alex's bed – their bed – and took a deep breath before starting.

"I was raped."


	3. Forgiving and Forgetting

**I hope you guys will enjoy this next chapter. I know some of you were really enjoying the seperate charater views, but with the way the story is heading, they will happen less and less, and most of it will be focusing on MerDer anyway. You'll understand at the end of the chapter. I'm sorry if there are any grammar errors. Didn't get a chance to reread this chapter as I am in a rush and wanted to update it before I went to the land of no internet (my mom's house). The next few chapters will hopefully be up on Friday. **

**.Enjoy!**

"Dr Webber" Jackson said when he saw the familiar figure standing by the nurses station.

"Dr Avery" he greeted.

"I know you're no longer the chief and all, but I know you probably know where to find this certain information."

"And what would that information be?"

"My birth certificate."

Jackson had found out earlier that week that he had been adopted at birth. His birth mom had specifically told his adoptive family that she didn't want him to know about it until he was old enough to understand her reasons. His mom had decided this week that it finally time to tell him. He was speechless when she told him, he couldn't believe it. He was sure his mom know who his birth mother was but he wanted to find out for himself.

"Well, you would need to contact the hospital where you born and have them mail it to you."

"Okay then, thanks."

Jackson was about to walk away when the chief called him over .

"I heard you're living at Meredith's."

Jackson knew that Dr Webber felt like the fatherly figure in Meredith's life. He knew more about her then her own father did. He then realized that Richard would have made an amazing dad and that it was too bad that he never had had the chance.

"Yeah" he replied. "I think there's more drama there then in this hospital. I didn't think it was possible, but apparently I've been proven wrong.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well first of all, Cristina moved all of her stuff in last night because Owen cheated on her and she ended things with him, which left her apartment less. And then there's the whole bakery in the kitchen…"

"I remember hearing about Izzie creating the bakery in the kitchen when Denny died. I didn't think anybody else knew how to bake in that house. Who is it this time?"

"Oh it's still Izzie."

Richard froze in shock.

"Izzie's back?"

"Izzie's back. For now anyway."

-

Owen just hung up from the phone call that was going to change his life. They wanted him back. As a doctor. In the war zone. He didn't know if he was going to be able to handle it. But he had no choice. Once you sign up for the forces, it's like you belong to them. Unless you have a reasonable reason to stay, you don't get any say in their decision.

And they had decided.

He and Teddy were to be back there in two weeks.

At least he wouldn't be alone.

-

Mark was scrubbing out of his surgery when his pager beeped. It was Lexie. She told him before he had gotten a 911 page that she wanted to get back together, but they needed to solve what was in the way of their relationship before there was any sex. A sex ban. He would do it for her. Nobody else but her would be able to stop Mark from having sex, but Lexie had his heart and he would do anything she wanted just as long as he got to keep her.

He caught up to her in the same on call they had been in previously that day, and again, there wouldn't be any sex.

"Twice in one day that these beds aren't getting much use," he said with a laugh.

"And they won't be any time today. Maybe tomorrow," she said with a naughty smirk.

"I can handle it."

"That's not why I wanted to talk to you though." Lexie had a very specific subject she wanted to bring up with him before they got back to their serious relationship.

"Okay then, what do you need to talk about?"

"The future. I need to know what you have planned for the future."

"As long as you're in it, it doesn't make a difference to me," he said with a grin.

"I'm serious! What about marriage and a home and kids…"

Mark's face lit up.

"Kids?"

"Yeah, maybe. But not yet. It's still too early."

Mark jumped off the bed and lifted Lexie off her feet and when he set her on the ground he kissed her so softly you would have sworn someone had taken over the man whore Mark and turned him in to the romantic family type guy.

Mark grabbed both of Lexie's hands.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too" she said all bright and smiley.

Just then the door opened and Miranda stood in the doorway.

"I never thought I'd see the day where Mark Sloan would be in an on call room not shacking it up with his next victim, let alone in the on call room with a girl, and fully dressed."

"Sex ban" was all he said.

-

"What about a dog?"

Meredith was lying on Derek's chest, watching the sun set over Seattle. They had talked about family and the future and everything that had to do with it since they got here. It had been an amazing day with an even more amazing ending.

"I could picture a dog in the family picture," Meredith replied.

"Before or after we have kids?" Derek was still in shock that they had spent the afternoon talking about kids without her running away. He was completely and totally in love with her and nothing could take him out of his trance.

"Probably before. Especially if we have the house built. How about once the house is done, we look for a dog?"

"Sounds perfect."

Derek had been avoiding a certain subject all day and he knew he'd need to bring it up sooner or later. He decided now would be the right time.

"At the end of April, my family is having a family reunion, and since I haven't seen any of my sisters, other than Nancy since I've been living in Seattle, I thought it would a good idea if I showed up." He paused and took a deep breath. "It would also give me a chance to show off my wife." He kissed her softly to relax some of the tension, but to his surprise, she wasn't tense at all.

"Derek, of course you need to visit your family. Your mom needs all of her kids together again. I could tell that when she came, she was missing seeing you with your sisters. And of course I'll come."

His family knew about their almost wedding and their post-it wedding. Now that things had been settled for a little while, he had been calling his sisters and his mom every month to update them on things and that's how he found out about the family reunion. All of his dad's family was going to be there. He was excited to see his cousins and his uncles and aunts, but most of all he couldn't wait to see his sisters and his nieces and nephews. It had been almost three years since the last time he saw them, and he knew that there were even new additions that he hadn't even met yet. His youngest sister Amy had just had a little boy a few months ago, and he thought that maybe this would give Meredith the chance to not only meet his family, but she would be able to see what having kids of their own would be like.

"Good, because I don't think I'd be able to go a week without you." He was playing with her hair and trying to put braids in it. Of course, he was failing miserably.

"Besides, it'll give me a chance to hear plenty of embarrassing stories. I wouldn't be able to pass up the offer."

-

Izzie had told Alex the whole story. From the beginning, when she decided to go visit her mom, until the end, where he had found her at the gas station. Alex stayed silent during the entire story, not able to speak anyway. He couldn't believe that he had let her go off, that he hadn't kept her safe with him this whole time. He wished he could go back to the day where he told her they were over and change everything. He could have protected her from any harm and kept her to himself, but he had to be the idiot who let the one thing he loved slip away from him.

When she finished, Alex was there, wrapping her in his arms. He missed this contact, the feeling of having her so close to him. He couldn't even imagine how she must have felt being physically forced in to doing something that was so uncomfortable to her. He wanted to kill that guy, to hunt him doing and strangle him for all the pain he had caused her, not once but twice. He was ready to do anything to protect her.

"Izzie… I'm sorry I ever left you, I'm sorry for the pain I've caused you, I'm sorry for the consequences you had to pay for my mistakes. Please, can you forgive me?"

"Alex…"

"I want you back, Izzie. I _need_ you. I can't live like this, knowing someone's out there to hurt you. I need to know that you're always safe. I need to know that nobody can hurt you again. Please…" he broke into sobs.

"Alex, of course I forgive you and of course I'll come back. Life isn't the same without you and I don't think I'd ever be able to love someone the same as I love you."

Alex stopped sobbing and looked her in the eye.

"You still love me?"

"I'll always love you Alex."

"I love you too. Always"

His lips found hers and for a minute, they could forget everything that had happened, and forgive each other for the mistakes they had both made.

-

Work had been a drag. Cristina decided that it would be best if she went home now, rather than try to get in on an extra surgery. She needed out of this hospital, out of this life. She didn't want to have to see Owen's face every day and know that he had once loved her, and that she had loved him back, but that it hadn't been enough to keep him away from Teddy.

She hoped that Meredith was home. She needed to talk to someone. But sadly, Derek's car wasn't there, which meant he had probably taken her out somewhere since they both had the day off.

She was surprised to find Jackson sitting on the couch when she walked in. she had seen him at work today, and thought that he was probably working. Then again she remembered that he had been wearing street clothes, which probably meant he had just gone in to get something or see someone.

She sat down beside him, but stayed quiet. She didn't know what to say to him, since the last time they had really talked was when he had kissed her. It had been awkward because she was still with Owen, but now she didn't need to worry if he planned on attacking her again.

"Where's Mer?" she asked cautiously.

"She and Derek left before lunch. Haven't been here since.

"I saw you at work today."

"Yeah I was there to inquire about getting my birth certificate."

"Planning on travelling?" she asked.

"No, I'm trying to find my birth parents."

"You're adopted?"

"Apparently. I hadn't known either until this week."

"Oh. Well good luck." She paused. "Anyone else here?"

"Well Alex had come by earlier to check on Izzie, but I think he went-" Cristina cut him off.

"Izzie's here?"

"Yeah, she's upstairs."

Cristina didn't wait to say bye. She hopped off the couch and ran for the stairs. When she reached Alex's room, she knocked and opened the door.

There she was.

-

Meredith and Derek got home around eight o'clock. They had stopped at a little restaurant they really enjoyed for supper, and then decided it was better to just head home rather than spend a night on the town. They were both exhausted, and Meredith had a lot of roommates to check up on. It was then that she remembered that Izzie was here.

"Anymore roommates I should know about before going in?" Derek asked as they walked up the porch steps. He laughed at the thought of fitting one more person in the already crowded house.

He stopped laughing when Meredith had answered.

"Actually, yeah."

"Who?"

It was late when Derek had gotten home the night before. She was already asleep and by the time she woke up that morning, she had forgotten about the night before.

"Izzie."

Derek's eyes became full with surprise. But the next image was even more shocking.

He walked into the house, Meredith at his sides, and when he heard several laughs coming from the living room, he turned to her only to have her raise her shoulders letting him know that she knew as much as he did.

When they made their way to the living room, he spotted all very familiar faces, but one of them caught him by surprise. There were six people sitting in the living room – Izzie, Alex and Cristina on the couch, Jackson on one of the arm chairs, and Lexie on the floor. They were all living here at the moment. But the sixth person, his arms around Lexie's waist was what caught him by surprise.

"Mark?"

Everyone turned to face the married couple in the doorway. They were all smiling, which was a good sign. Even Cristina and Izzie, who had been miserable the night before, according to Meredith.

"Hey there bro," he said as he taped the space beside him on the floor against the far wall, inviting them to take a seat. Derek sat down and pulled Meredith into his lap. She didn't argue with him and snuggled comfortably against his loving body.

"What are you guys all chatting about?"

"They're updating me on all the things I've missed at Seattle Grace," Jackson answered.

"Like when Miranda caught you two in your car and kept Meredith away from you at work because it was distracting," Izzie explained.

"And when we thought Meredith was carrying McBaby," Cristina added.

"Wait!" Jackson stopped her. "You didn't tell me that one!"

"Oh, well I was getting to it." Cristina started. "Meredith had been barfing her guts out all morning at the hospital one day, right after Derek and Addison had broken up, and we were all sure she was pregnant. Once again, Bailey wouldn't let Derek near her, saying that he had already caused enough trouble, and we got Meredith to a room-"

"So she wasn't actually pregnant though?" Jackson asked.

"Do you see a two year old running around the house?" Cristina asked. "Well I sure don't. It ended up she had appendicitis and had get an appendectomy. That was also the day she broke up with Finn-"

"Okay, I'm sure Jackson loves hearing about my life story, but I think it's time to pick on someone else."

"Okay then…" Cristina was thinking. "How about when Shepard beat the crap out of Sloan."

Derek winced at the memory.

"Which one?" Mark asked.

Derek interrupted. "The second time. Let's not bring up the other time."

"In my defense, I wasn't expecting it." Mark added.

"You should have been. You knew I had told you to stay away from Lexie, and of course you hadn't."

"True, but it was your fault for even getting the thought of it in my head."

"Hello, I'm right here" Lexie said as the guys continued to talk about whose fault it was.

"I've got to admit," Alex started," Meredith stories are much more interesting. And there are much more of them. Like the time her one night stand showed up at the hospital and Derek was his doctor, or when her panties were-"

"Stop!" Meredith yelled. "This is my house and I can kick all of you guys out."

They all stopped.

"I have a question," Jackson stated. "Who's Finn?"

Meredith huffed and gave up when they all started explaining the vet to their new found friend.

"I love you no matter what stories they tell."

"Good. And I love you too."

-

Lexie stayed quiet as the group continued telling stories. Her and Mark had missed the beginning of the Seattle Grace experiences, so she was sometimes lost, but Mark had been there before she had, so he knew more of them then her.

"Remember the bomb?" Alex asked.

"How could I forget," Meredith responded. "The hospital had gone absolutely wild that day.

"Wait, there was a bomb in the hospital?" Jackson was lost.

"Yup and Meredith was holding it still in some guys abdomen."

"Wow, I have missed a lot."

"You have no idea."

Lexie turned all the voices around her off. She had heard these stories before, but wasn't able to talk about them since she hadn't lived them first hand. She was remembering the actual conversation they had been having before Meredith and Derek showed up.

_Mark had decided to come back with her to Meredith's. He wanted to talk to Derek anyway, but mostly, he wanted to be by Lexie's side. When they got home, they found the four others sitting in the living room. Jackson was watching whatever was on TV, Cristina was reading a medical journal and Izzie was sleeping in Alex's arms. When they came in the doorway, three pairs of eyes looked up to see who it was._

"_What are you doing here Sloan?" Cristina asked._

"_I came with Lexie," he looked down at her and smiled._

"_Glad to see you two love birds are back together" Alex added. Lexie knew that Alex would be happy. She knew he had been worried that she thought of them as a couple, but the look on his face the night before when he carried Izzie in told her that things between them would have to stop. She understood and said nothing about it._

_Mark sat down on the floor and pulled Lexie down with him. They sat in silence for a while before Izzie woke up. _

"_Hi there Lexie, Sloan."_

_Lexie had already told Mark about how Izzie had shown up in Seattle with Alex, but she didn't know much more then that._

"_Hey."_

_Cristina put away her book, knowing that she wouldn't get much more reading done. Jackson flicked the TV off, and decided he would be the one to break the silence._

"_I'm thankful for Meredith to have let me stay here."_

"_Me too" Cristina added._

"_I'm glad Shepard puts up with us. I was sure we'd all be homeless after they got married."_

"_I wish there were some way we could thank them" Lexie joined in the conversation._

"_They've done so much for all of us, it's only right we do something for them. I mean come on, who gives up their own wedding for their friends?" Izzie added, looking at Alex after her last line._

"_That's it!" Lexie exclaimed. "We could plan a surprise wedding."_

_Everybody thought about it, but no one said anything._

"_I'm in" Mark broke the silence._

"_Me too" Izzie said, beaming at the idea of getting to organize another wedding._

"_Sure why not" Jackson agreed. "It'll make me feel more part of the Seattle Grace crowd."_

_Cristina and Alex agreed too, and all of them were coming up with ways to organize a wedding without Meredith and Derek finding out. _

"_Who do we invite?" Izzie asked, a note pad in hand, taking notes._

"_Well first of all, there's the hospital crowd." Cristina mentioned._

"_So that would consist of?" Mark asked._

"_Richard and Adele, Bailey and the gas man, Arizona and Callie, Owen and Teddy, and whoever else you can think of from the hospital."_

_Lexie was surprised Cristina mentioned Owen and Teddy. She knew about what had happened – Seattle Grace was known for gossip- and didn't know how Cristina felt about the whole situation._

"_I say we invite Rose just to piss her off" Mark added._

_They all laughed except for Jackson._

"_Who's Rose?"_

_Alex explained. "She's one of the scrub nurses. She and Derek dated while him and Meredith were broken up. He dumped her for Meredith after Mer went and built the house of candles."_

"_House of candles?" Jackson asked again, learning more and more about the past of his workmates._

"_She built the shape of the house Derek had planned for them out of candles on his land."_

"_Wow, romantic" he added._

"_Yeah, except for the way she greeted him when he finally showed up" Mark commented with a laugh. Derek had told him the story when they became friends again._

"_Okay back to the wedding" Izzie instructed._

"_Right, well there's Derek's family," Lexie mentioned._

"_How do we inform them?" Alex asked._

"_Not a problem. I happen to be a member of that family," Mark said proudly._

"_Okay, so when do we have it?" Izzie continued._

_Everyone went quiet._

"_Do you think we could organize a wedding in two weeks?" Mark asked cautiously._

"_Why? What do you have in mind?" Izzie asked, curious._

"_Well the Shepard family reunion is in two weeks, which consists of all of Derek's family on his dad's side, and they get together for five days and just party the whole time. If I let Carolyn know in time, they could have it here instead of in New York. Most of the family has to fly to get to the reunion anyway, so it won't be much different when it comes to airfare."_

"_Okay then, so it's settled. We're having it in Seattle in two weeks." Cristina said._

"_I think we should keep it a secret that the Shepards are coming to Seattle," Lexie suggested._

"_How do we manage that?" Jackson asked._

_They all thought about it for a few minutes._

"_When were you guys planning on flying out to New York?" Lexie asked Mark._

"_We were going to leave on the 27__th__ of April. The reunion was planned to start on the 29__th__."_

"_Well what if you tell Meredith and Derek you bought their tickets and you plan on picking them up at the house so they only need to leave one car at the airport. That way, you can pretend to be driving to the airport, when in reality you'll be driving to wherever we plan on holding the wedding?" Lexie suggested._

"_Genius!" Izzie exclaimed." We can get the family to fly in the night before and rent an Inn for them all to stay at. "_

"_How do we plan on affording to put all of the family in an Inn?" Alex asked._

"_One of my friends owns a nice little Inn just outside of town, on the water. He owes me big time for a pro bono surgery my attending performed on him with the condition that I do all of his charts for the next month and a half. He doesn't get much business, but it's a family owned business so they don't want to sell it. Maybe we could rent it cheap," Jackson suggested._

"_Who knew the Mercy Wester could come in handy," Cristina laughed._

"_We should hold the wedding there!" Lexie exclaimed. "It's on the water, which would make for insane pictures and the family wouldn't get lost trying to find the location since they'll already be there."_

"_I'll call Mike right now," Jackson said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and went in to another room._

"_Okay, what about clothes for the bride and groom and wedding party?" Mark asked, really getting in to the idea of planning a wedding._

"_Well we still have the bride's dress and the bride's maid dresses from the first one," Izzie said. She looked at Lexie and Cristina. "You guys do still have your dresses, right?"_

"_Yes" they both answered._

"_Perfect. And I have the bride's dress. Now, we need to get my bride's maid dress from Meredith without her noticing."_

"_I think it's in the attic" Cristina answered. "I'll go look."_

"_Okay then. Mark, do you want to call Derek's mother and ask her if all this will be possible?"_

"_I'm on it" he said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket._

"_Okay then. We've got the guest list, the outfits-"_

"_Wait, what about the groom and best man?" Alex asked._

"_Mark can rent tuxes" Lexie answered. "He and Derek are about the same size and even if it's not perfect, it'll be fine."_

"_Okay then. Guest list, outfits-"_

"_We've got the Inn," Jackson said._

"_How much is it going to cost?" Lexie asked._

"_He said we could have it for the week as long as we pay the electricity and water bill, he's not charging."_

"_Bonus!" Izzie said as she noted all of this down._

"_If you want to Izzie, since you seem to be the organizer, you can go visit it to make sure it fits your standards."_

_Izzie nodded and decided she'd go visit it tomorrow._

"_I have the day off, maybe I could join you?" Lexie suggested._

"_Same" Alex added._

"_Okay, so the three of you will visit it tomorrow and you'll let us know tomorrow night what you think of it."_

_Cristina walked back in with the bride's maid dress and shoved it in one of her boxes._

"_We'll hide all this stuff in Mark's apartment," Cristina announced._

"_Why mine?" Mark asked as he came back in the room. He had a great big smile on his face which meant he had good news._

"_Look around dumb ass. The rest of us are currently living here."_

"_Right. So does that mean I get to hold the meetings at my place too?"_

"_Good idea!" Izzie was jumping for joy._

_The six of them reassembled all the information and materiel they had, including Mark announcing that Carolyn and the girls all thought it was an amazing idea and them and their families would arrive on the 28__th__ of April. They were going to get the rest of the Shepards to come down, and if they couldn't make it, they had decided they would plan their family reunion for the summer instead. But she was hoping they all could. Her sister's family would hopefully be coming down too._

"_We need a flower girl and a ring bearer," Izzie exclaimed._

"_I can get Natalie's daughter's to be the flower girls. They are three and five and love dresses and all those girly things. They're also the closest to Derek out of all the nieces and nephews." Mark informed them._

"_I think Tucker Jr. would make the perfect ring bearer," Lexie suggested. "Besides, Bailey has been there for everything in Meredith's and Derek's relationship. I remember how overprotective she had been of Meredith after she found her with Derek in his car."_

_Just then, they heard a car pull in the driveway. They knew who it was. Izzie shoved her notepad in one of Cristina's many boxes and sat back down in Alex's arms._

_The door shut and everybody started laughing, pretending they had been telling funny stories. Technically they weren't pretending since the last thing mentioned consisted of Bailey and Meredith and Derek's relationship, which thinking back on it, was pretty funny._

"_Mark?" They heard Derek ask as he came in the doorway. _

_This was going to work. Neither one of them suspected a thing._


	4. Surprise after surprise

Meredith woke up to the smell of bacon downstairs and the first thought that came through her head was how much she was craving bacon sandwiches. The next thing she thought about was how she was going to throw up. She jumped up from the bed, which woke Derek up, and ran towards the bathroom. She made it just in time and was barfing out her supper from the night before, the supper she had enjoyed so much.

Derek was behind her in seconds, holding her hair back as she hung over the toilet for several minutes. Even after Meredith was empty, and had nothing else to get out of her system, she stayed over the bowl a little longer, just to be safe. Eventually, she leaned back into Derek's arms and sighed.

"Must have been something in the supper last night," Derek concluded.

"Yeah probably," Meredith agreed.

They sat there for several more minutes in silence before Meredith got up to wash her face and brush her teeth. Derek pulled a hair elastic out of one of the bathroom drawers and pulled her hair back in a ponytail. He kissed her gently on the neck, and when Meredith put her toothbrush back in its holder, Derek spun her around and planted a kiss on her lips. Short but sweet.

They got dressed and headed down the stairs, hand in hand. Derek looked over and smiled at his loving wife and noticed that she was radiating, even though she had just finished throwing up. She was so beautiful, she glowed. He was amazed by how lucky he had been to find her.

The kitchen was full. Izzie, Alex and Lexie, still in their PJ's were sitting around the table. Jackson was sitting with them too, but he was fully dressed. He had to go to work today. Cristina was over by the coffee pot filling her mug, getting ready for a long morning. There were a lot of surgeries scheduled today and a lot of residents with the day off, so she was probably going to take advantage of that and head to work early. She grabbed her keys, said a quick goodbye and headed out the kitchen door.

Derek grabbed two plates and pilled them with bacon, toasts and a few muffins that Izzie had made the day before. He set them on the counter and sat on one of the benches beside Meredith.

She hadn't eaten two bites before she was off to the bathroom, once again. The four others sitting there watched as Derek got up to go follow her. She was on the ground, her forehead laying on the cold floor when Derek walked in.

"Maybe you should call in sick," Derek suggested.

"I can't. I'll be fine."

"Really fine or Meredith fine?"

"I'm not sure."

Derek wasn't going to argue with her. He decided that he would let her go to work, but that he wasn't letting her do any surgeries. He didn't want to hear about someone dying because a resident had filled his interiors with barf. He was going to make sure Dr. Bailey would watch out for her.

Derek was in meetings all day, at the hospital board office downtown, so he wouldn't be able to check up on her all day. He would only be back at the hospital in the late afternoon, in time to pick her up after her shift. He knew Miranda would take good care of her, he just hoped that Meredith wouldn't be sick all day. And that she'd stay away from patients. Maybe he could get Miranda to make her do charts all day.

Yeah, charts would be a good idea.

-

Owen found Cristina in the hallway, on her way to the locker rooms. He knew he needed to apologize, even though he knew it wouldn't change anything. He felt like she at least deserved an explanation, but he didn't have one.

_Crap,_ he thought. _I ruined something special and I don't even have a reason for it._

He also needed to tell her about being called back to the army, that way she knew that she wouldn't have to see his face every day at work. He knew she would at least be thankful for that.

"Cristina!" he yelled as he caught up behind her. She turned around, but didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say.

"I need to apologize. You didn't deserve what I did to you. And I regret it. I know it doesn't change anything, but I wish I hadn't done it. I still love you, but I love Teddy too. And you'd be better off without. I've caused you enough trouble."

Cristina snorted. "Why don't you and Teddy just go back to where you came from before? You'd be off on your own and you won't have to worry about how I feel." She was mad, he knew it, but she didn't realize how much it hurt him that she would ever consider bringing up the war. She didn't realize that her words had been more accurate than not.

"They called us back. Teddy and I. We need to go back."

Cristina's look softened.

"Ugh I'm the idiot now. I'm sorry I said that."

They stayed silent until Owen pager went off.

"911 in the pit."

Cristina's pager went off too and they headed down to meet the ambulance.

-

Mark made sure that Derek and Meredith had left the house before pulling in the driveway and heading in. He knew that Izzie, Alex and Lexie would be heading out to visit the Inn around lunchtime, so he had stopped by ahead of time to let them know that he had informed the Shepard family of the location they were staying at and that the wedding was still undergo for now. So far, they hadn't met any problems. He hoped they wouldn't at all. But what wedding was planned without problems, especially one the bride and groom didn't know about?

He opened the front door, it being unlocked, and headed to the kitchen where he heard voices.

"They need a song," he heard Izzie exclaim through the door.

Mark opened the door without any of them noticing.

"How about 'I don't wanna miss a thing' by Aerosmith? It's the perfect wedding song."

Lexie and Izzie jumped when they heard his voice. They hadn't realized he was there and much more, they were afraid it had been Derek who had caught them.

"Mark! You scared us!" Izzie screamed.

"Sorry. I just came to let you know that the Sheps all received their information about the wedding and all will all be attending. They all thought the reunion would be much more exciting if they had a wedding to celebrate. They also received the information on the location and the date."

"Good, good." Izzie wrote something on the notepad and smiled.

"Also, we have three flower girls, and they already all have matching dresses. They are a light pink, and according to Amy, work perfectly for a wedding. I guess we'll just have to trust them."

"Perfect!"

"Oh and I'll pick up whatever boxes you need me to bring to my apartment that you already have because I'm headed back there now."

Izzie rushed into the living room to grab her bride's maid dress along with Cristina's. Lexie went up stairs to grab hers. That left Mark and Alex alone in the same room.

"Look I'm sorry man for the whole Lexie thing," Alex apologized.

"It's alright. What has passed has passed."

Izzie walked back in, oblivious to the quick conversation between the two men.

"Okay, well the wedding dress in still at the trailer, unless you moved it," she pointed at Alex.

"I haven't been to the trailer since you disappeared," he assured her.

"Okay then. Well we can go pick it up after we visit the Inn and drop it off at your place tonight."

"I'm on call tonight, so if you have a meeting, make sure to let me know the details later" Lexie said as she walked back into the room with her dress. She tossed it into Mark's arms with the other two.

"No problem. Who else is working tonight?"

"Jackson is, so we can have our own little meeting if we find the time" Lexie stated, getting more and more excited as the idea of the wedding became more and more of a reality.

"Okay then, so it's settled. Meeting at my place at 8 for project SW."

They laughed at the name he came up with and headed out the door, preparing for what could be a long two weeks of keeping secrets.

-

Jackson had been in charge of informing Richard and Miranda of their plans. He was also in charge of asking Miranda about whether Tuck would want to be the ring bearer. Cristina was going to inform Arizona and Callie, and if she could handle it, Teddy who could tell Owen.

He noticed that Meredith was with Dr. Bailey, so he decided he would go talk to Richard first. When he caught up to him at the nurse's station, he had been lost in conversation with one of the nurses, whom Jackson didn't recognize.

He walked up towards them, only to realize they had been talking about Derek and Meredith.

"It know they're married, but do you honestly think they'll last?" the nurse asked.

"There is no doubt in mind that they'll last forever. They love each other more than imaginable. And you will do nothing to ruin that. Understood?"

"Yes Dr. Webber."

Jackson decided their conversation was over and he thought now would be a good time to interrupt.

"Hello Dr. Webber."

"Oh well hello there Dr. Avery." He paused. "Dr Avery, this is Rose, one of the scrub nurse's."

Jackson coughed.

"Oh sorry. I think there's something stuck in my throat." He looked at Richard who was smiling.

"What would you like, Dr. Avery?"

"Could I talk to you privately?"

"Sure."

They walked over to the locker room where they sat on the bench.

"I take it you've been talking a lot to Meredith and company." Richard smirked.

"Why do you say that?"

"You should have seen the look on your face when I introduced you to Rose. Priceless."

"Right, well I hadn't expected it. I mean I should have when I heard you guys talk about Derek, but I just don't think before I react, and I have terrible reflexes when it comes to things like that and-"

"Wow," Richard cut him off. "It's only been a day and you already ramble like Mer."

"Apparently I've always been a rambler."

"Well then, what did you want to talk to me about?"

Jackson had forgotten about his mission to invite Richard to the wedding.

"Oh right. Well I was at Meredith's last night with the whole crew of them –"

"Who does the crew at that point consist of?"

"Well, Izzie, Alex, Cristina, Lexie and Mark."

"Mark?"

"He and Lexie are back together," he explained.

"And Meredith and Derek aren't part of that crew?"

"If you let me finish my story you'll understand!"

"Oh right, well then, continue."

"So we got to talking about how Meredith and Derek had done so much for all of us, and we wanted to find a way to thank them for it, and that's when Lexie came up with the idea of having a surprise wedding." Jackson took a breath.

"A surprise wedding?"

"Yeah. They won't know about it until the day of. We already have a location, a guest list with confirmed guests, a wedding party and most of the clothes for the party."

"Wait, you said you started organizing last night?" Jackson nodded. "Wow you guys are amazing planners."

"Yeah, well we've even got Derek's family flying in from New York and he doesn't even suspect a thing."

"You guys _are_ amazing wedding planners."

"Anyway, we wanted to invite you and Adele, and considering the fact that you and Meredith have a much closer relationship then her and her actual dad, who I don't even think we're inviting, we were wondering if you'd walk her down the aisle?"

Richards eyes were welling with tears.

He flicked them away and responded.

"Of course. We'll be there and I would be honored to walk her down the aisle." Jackson smiled.

"It was nice talking to you," Jackson said as he walked out.

"You too."

-

Izzie, Alex and Lexie were in the car on their way to the Inn. It was about half an hour away, and they were now on the ferry. It wasn't very busy, due to the fact that most people were at work at ten thirty in the morning. Izzie couldn't stand still at home; jumping off walls she was so excited to visit the Inn. They decided they'd go early, just to get Izzie out of the house if anything.

"What about a minister? And music for the wedding ceremony? And food?" Izzie had her notepad in her hand and was writing things everywhere, in every direction, every size. She wrote the more important things in big, that way it would catch her attention faster. Alex and Lexie were trying to calm her down, but unsuccessfully.

"Well what are you doing for the next two weeks other then organizing the wedding?" Lexie asked Izzie.

"Nothing else, I don't think."

"Well would you want to do the baking? You could bake the cake and other desserts and snacks. My sister Molly's husband is a chef. We could ask him if he would be interested in helping. He could possibly do it pretty cheap."

"And for music, we could just use a CD. It doesn't need to be too fancy."

"Oh and I could ask the minister at the church we had my mother's funeral at if he would do the wedding."

Izzie noted all of this down, then realized something.

"How will I do the baking if Meredith goes in that kitchen every day? She'll catch on."

Lexie pulled a key out of her pocket.

"We have full access to Mark's apartment. He said that his apartment could be used for anything wedding related."

"Izzie, you need to relax. We're here to help too. You don't need to take all of the stress of the wedding on your shoulders."

Izzie took a few deep breaths.

"Okay then."

They reached a long dirt driveway, and Alex turned the car into the isle. The distance from the main road to the Inn was through the trees, and fairly long, but no one had prepared them for the sight that came into view.

".Gosh." Izzie was the first one to speak. The other two were speechless.

The place was amazing. The Inn had a historic look to it, white brick with thousands of vines climbing up the sides of the walls. There were trees all around, but the sun still shone on the beautiful land.

Alex parked the car in the front parking lot. There were very few cars there, which could be an advantage for the tour. They'd get to see the entire building.

"It's amazing," Lexie said.

"I wonder if the inside is as beautiful as the inside."

They all got out of the car and made their way done the stone walkway to the main door.

"Hello there" someone greeted from the main door.

"Hello." Izzie extended her arm to shake the man's hand. "I'm Izzie."

"You guys must be Jackson's friends. He said he was sending someone named Izzie. I'm Mike"

"That would be us. We're here to check the place out for a wedding."

"I heard. A surprise wedding if I understood correctly?"

"Yeah. It's for our friends. They're already married, but they haven't had a chance to actually have a wedding."

"They must be pretty special friends for you guys to be organizing them a surprise wedding."

"They are."

"Well, let me show you around, see what you think."

The four of them walked into the lobby. Three of them gasped.

"You like it? Mike asked.

The three of them nodded. He laughed.

"Good."

The front desk was made out of Mahogany, and there were carvings threw the whole thing. The lobby was decorated with paintings and they were all of amazing sceneries. The spiral stairs in the back just completed the incredibly amazing set up.

"This is the foyer. Follow me to the rooms."

They followed him up the stairs and into a hallway. The hallway was decorated with carvings all around the ceiling area. There were carvings of flowers and trees, but it was the words that caught Izzie's attention. _Beauty is not what you see, but what you feel. _It was so true, and considering the fact that this place was beautiful visibly, she couldn't imagine what the inner beauty of this place was. The memories held here were probably more then she could imagine. And they were about to hold their own amazing memory.

"Okay, so there are 15 family rooms and 20 double rooms. 10 of the family rooms are on this side, and 15 of the double rooms. The others are on the other side of the hall. There is also a kitchen on this level with a stairwell that goes down into the ballroom downstairs. There are also 10 more rooms downstairs, but they are specialty rooms. Two honeymoon suites, three children suites, which can hold four to six children each, and three regular suites, which could hold four to six adults with cots." He paused. "Oh and there are no reservations for any of the rooms yet and I'll make sure there won't be any. Just tell me what dates you'll need it for and I'll make sure to note it down."

"Well most of the families are flying in on the 26th. The wedding will be held on the 27th and then they'll all be out of here by the 1st."

"Okay then." He wrote it down in his notebook. "Let me show you the rooms."

He showed us a room of each kind, starting with the family rooms. Each of the family rooms had two queen size beds and a couch, a full bathroom, vanity with mirror, mini fridge and microwave, plus a table with 4 chairs. Izzie noted the amount of rooms and people per room. The double rooms were much smaller, but with the same things minus one of the queen size beds.

He then showed them the kitchen and Izzie fell in love.

"Would it be possible if I came here a few days before to start the baking?" she asked with a hopeful smile. He laughed.

"You could start right now if you'd like." Izzie beamed.

He brought them down the stairs that brought them directly to the ballroom. Once again, they were blown away. There were dozens of tables spread out around the room, and several chandeliers hanging from the roof. There was a small stage in the corner of the room, which they would be able to set up a DJ system. They had decided that rather than hiring a band, they would just hire a DJ. It would be much easier and much less expensive.

"This will be where you can have the reception. The tables will be nice for supper and they can be cleared from the way after supper and turned into a dance floor. We've held several weddings here before and they've all worked out very well. The ceremony can be held outside if it's nice, and if not, it can also be held in here."

He brought them back out through the lobby and over to the other wing, where the suites were. The kid's suites consisted of two sets of bunk beds, and two twin beds. They also had a bathroom and either a foosball or a pool table, plus a TV with a video game system and several games. The normal suites consisted of two rooms with king size beds, two bathrooms, a kitchenette, and a living area with a pullout couch.

But the honeymoon suite was the best of them all. The one that they had visited had a king size bed, a mini fridge already stashed with champagne and wine, a picture window with a view of the water and a silk curtain so the newlywed couples could have their privacy. But the best part of the whole room, the part Izzie knew Meredith and Derek would love the most was the Jacuzzi tub in the far corner of the massive bathroom.

He then brought the three of them outside to the courtyard, the most beautiful place on the entire land. Right on the edge of the water, they found a huge yard with enough room to seat a hundred guests. There was also a small gazebo which was decorated from top to bottom with vines of flowers. It would be used as the altar.

"There are foldout chairs in the shed in the corner." They looked over to the side where the spotted a shed the size of a small house. "We have enough seats for a wedding of about one hundred guests."

He brought them into the shed where he showed them the chairs which had been decorated with light colored ribbons. Izzie noted the colors so she could coordinate the rest of the decorations accordingly. She still needed to order flowers and balloons, but she still had two weeks to do so. They were going to put Mark's address and phone number on anything they ordered, just in case the suppliers needed to contact someone if something went wrong. They wouldn't want them to call Meredith's house and have one of the two of them answer. That would ruin the entire thing.

"Okay then," he said, as they arrived back at the front of the Inn. "I have all the rooms and the ballroom booked from the 26th of April until the 1st of May. Feel free to come by anytime between now and then to set things up. If you need an extra hand, I'm always here to help."

"I might just take you up on that offer. Can you cook?"

"I took gourmet chef classes in college, but I'm a little rusty. I can do my best though."

"I think we have a chef, but we might need a few extra hands in the kitchen," Lexie managed to say. She and Alex hadn't said much. They were too much in awe with the place that they couldn't form straight sentences.

"Well I've got a few extra hands if you need them. My brothers work here part time and love to help out anytime they can. And for Jackson, they'd do anything."

They were all awfully lucky for Jackson. If it hadn't been for Jackson they wouldn't have had this amazing place all to themselves for the wedding, let alone at such a great rate. He seemed to be a nice guy, not like the other Mercy Wester's. Izzie definitely saw a future for that guy in their circle of friends.

"Well thank you, for everything. We'll probably bring the other three organizers out here soon so they can get a good look at the place, and I'm sure Jackson will be happy to see you."

"I can't wait to see him," Mike admitted. "My three brothers and I had been separated from our parents when we were younger because of financial reasons and if it weren't for Jackson and his family, we would have had to sell this place. We don't get enough business to keep in open year round, so it usually opens around this time of year and closes at the end of October. We're lucky if we can keep it open that long. My brothers work part time here and have other part time jobs too. We stay in that little house over there," he pointed towards a nice little house in the woods, "and keep an eye out for this place. We grew up here and it was only when we went and lived with Jackson's family that we were away from it. We can't get rid of it if our life depended on it."

"Well I'm glad you've let us use it."

"It's my pleasure. Gives me something to think about. And some time off of taking care of the few people that are usually here. Oh yeah, that's the other condition. You guys are the hosts. I'm taking the week off."

They all laughed.

"For what you're giving us, I think we can give you the week off."

Izzie and Mike exchanged phone numbers, and she gave him Mark's number along with hers incase he couldn't contact her on her cell.

The three of them got back in the car and drove down the long driveway, knowing it wouldn't be long before they were back.

-

It was almost noon and Meredith had being doing charts all morning. She was getting tired, and her hand kept reminding her that it was getting tired too. Her throwing up had gone down a little bit, but just when she thought she was better, it came back. She didn't feel sick, she actually felt completely fine. But as Derek had said that morning, it wouldn't be good if she got sick in the middle of surgery, so she stayed away from the OR. Miranda had been hovering around her when she wasn't checking on a patient. Her first surgery was only scheduled for after lunch, so she didn't have much of anything else to do.

"Dr Bailey, you don't need to hover. I have enough of that from Derek." Meredith didn't really mind it when Derek hovered, she was used to it now, but it was kind of scaring her that her attending/previous resident was doing it to.

"Derek instructed me to hover, so I'm hovering."

"And when do you usually listen to what Derek tells you to do?"

Miranda didn't get the chance to answer. Before she could get a word in, Meredith was running towards the bathroom across the hall, Bailey close behind. As Meredith lay over the toilet, Bailey did the same thing Derek had that morning. She grabbed her hair and held it back. When Meredith had emptied the contents of her stomach once again, she flushed the toilet before getting up off the filthy public bathroom floor.

"This is almost as bad as when you had appendicitis," Miranda commented as they walked out of the stall heading towards the sink.

"Yeah," Meredith replied. Then all of a sudden she paused in her tracks and turned ghost white, whiter than usual for Meredith. What happened next didn't surprise Miranda. All she did was smile.

Meredith was using her fingers to count, and Miranda knew what she was counting. She counted several times before she looked up at Bailey.

"I'm nine days late."

_Finally,_ Bailey thought. _She's figured it out._

**I'm sorry about the terrible descriptions of the Inn. I'm not very good at describing visual things, but that will just give your imagination a chance to work. I hope you guys are enjoying this so far and I'm glad to have written four chapters in a week. I've still got plenty of surprises left, one that will be coming up in the next chapter, so don't stop reading. **

**.Enjoy!**


	5. Awkward in a good way

Meredith couldn't believe it. She had said they'd wait. They weren't ready yet._ She_ wasn't ready yet. She was in complete and total shock and Bailey was just sitting there starring at her like an idiot, smiling.

"Here." Miranda pulled what looked like thermometer out of her pocket and passed it to Meredith. It was a pregnancy test.

"You... you knew?"

"Meredith, this is the second time this week you've been throwing up, you're glowing and I've caught you crying twice this week, and you don't cry. It was obvious to me. I can't believe Derek hasn't noticed."

"I... I don't know ... what to do." Meredith was sobbing.

"Well you pull it out of the package and pee on –"

"I didn't mean about the test. I meant about the baby."

"Well how about you take the test and we'll go from there."

Meredith went back in the stall and came out again after she did what she needed to do. She was in tears now, but she wasn't sure if she thought it would be a bad thing if it came out positive. She knew it was what she wanted, she just had hoped it wouldn't be this soon.

"Meredith, you're going to stop crying because you're going to make me cry, and I've already done my share of crying this week."

Meredith remembered her attending crying just two days before, the same day she had been throwing up all morning. _This is why,_ she thought. She knew. And she didn't tell me!

"Why didn't you tell me?" Meredith asked.

"I wanted you to find out for yourself. You would figure it out eventually, and I thought you'd probably take a heart attack if I were to just randomly announce it out of the blue."

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do Miranda," she said, in full fledged tears now.

"Shh, first of all, you need to stop crying."

"Stupid pregnant hormones" Meredith whispered.

"Second of all, let's make sure you're actually pregnant. It's probably been five minutes."

Meredith didn't want to look. She was afraid of what would happen if it were positive. What it would do to her career, her life. But even more, she was afraid of what would happen if it was negative. She knew deep down, she wanted it to be positive, and she was afraid that if it wasn't, she wouldn't be able to dim that light of hope that it really was happening. She passed the test to Bailey.

"Before I look, I'm telling you this. No matter what, I'm going to be here to help you. Anytime you need me, day or night, you know you can call me or page me or even show up on my doorstep." Meredith nodded. Bailey looked down.

"Well it looks like I'm going to start my job as guardian by getting you an appointment with an OBG."

-

Cristina ran into Callie and Mark in the hallway in front of the elevator.

"Mark, is there a meeting at your place tonight?" Cristina asked as she walked up to them.

"Yeah, it's at eight."

"Meeting?" Callie asked.

"Yeah we're organizing a surprise wedding for Meredith and Derek." Mark stated proudly.

"And I wasn't invited?" Callie asked.

"Oh sorry. I was supposed to be the one to invite you. My head has been elsewhere today."

"It's okay. And I understand. I heard about Owen and Teddy."

"Which part?" Cristina asked, suggesting there was more than one answer to that statement.

"The thing, in the on call room, yeah."

"So nobody else knows that they got called back to the field?"

Mark and Callie shook their heads, their expressions shocked.

"Well I had to find out the hard way." She felt bad for how she had brought it up and felt even more like an idiot for bringing it up jokingly with Owen. She knew no matter what, he would have taken it hard, but in these circumstances; it made it a hundred times worse.

"Back to this surprise wedding," Callie changed the subject, "Can I help organize it?"

"Sure, why not. The more people, the easier it'll be to organize a wedding in two weeks." Mark spoke.

"Two weeks! Are you nuts?"

"Well when you've got an organizer like Izzie, anything-"

"Wait, did you say Izzie? As in Stevens?"

"Yeah. Long story cut short. She's been here for two days now and is already way in over her head with this wedding thing."

"So when did you guys start planning this wedding?" Callie asked, looking for more details.

"Last night."

"You guys are absolutely nuts. How are you guys going to find a location? And guests?"

"Location has been visited today and according to Lexie is beyond amazing. And other then Derek's family, all of the guests are here in Seattle."

"And how are you planning on getting Derek's family here?"

"They already have their tickets booked." Mark smiled as Callie continued.

"Okay, what about a dress? And food?"

"Well we're using her original dress. And that's what the meetings for tonight, to see what new information we have assembled and what we still need."

"You guys are good," she admitted.

"We know," Cristina replied with a smirk.

-

Izzie and Alex were sitting in the living room, going through numbers for flower shops. Lexie was in her room upstairs talking to her brother in law about him being the chef.

"I say we use as much lavender as possible," Alex suggested.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Izzie noted it down.

"Shawn says he'd love to do the food, as long as we provide all the ingredients. He says it'll give him a chance to thank Meredith for saving Molly and Laura's lives," Lexie said as she came down the stairs.

"Check!" Izzie said as she checked chef off of the list.

"He also said that if you want to go over a menu with him sometime this week, he'd be available."

"Okay then. Tell him I can see him on Thursday afternoon at Mark's."

Lexie nodded and went into the kitchen to call him back.

"This wedding is going to be amazing!" she squealed.

Alex was getting worried.

"Are you sure you can handle all of this?" he asked.

"Alex, I don't need to. You know that everybody is helping. It'll work."

"Okay then," he nodded. "Just as long as you remember that we are all here to help.

-

Meredith was lying in an on call room, an ice pack on her forehead. Miranda had made her lie down for a little bit; she was afraid she'd collapse with all of the stress going on. She couldn't contact Derek because he had turned his phone of in his meeting and the usual OBG doctor was out but they said they had a very good replacement.

Meredith couldn't believe it. She was having a baby. She was going to be a mother. She was starting a family with Derek. An actual family. She was sweating up a storm and Miranda, being the protective mother bear at the moment was starting to freak her out. She wouldn't leave her side unless it was absolutely necessary.

"I have a surgery in half an hour. You have a meeting in OBGYN at 3:00 which will give you enough time before Derek comes to pick you up."

Derek. How was she going to tell him? She knew he would be more than excited to find out he was going to be a father, but would his over excitedness add to her worries or help her with the situation? She didn't know.

"Okay. Thank you."

Miranda was heading out the door before she stopped and turned around.

"And if you need anything –"

"I know, I know."

-

Jackson still hadn't told Bailey about the wedding yet. He had barely seen her all day. And when he did, she was with Meredith. He checked the board and noted that she had gone into surgery about an hour before, so she wouldn't be available until later on. _That's alright, _he thought. _I've got all day._

As if on cue, Cristina walked up behind him.

"Have you seen Meredith today?" she asked.

"Barely," he replied. "I think Dr Bailey forced her into giving up on working and just resting. She was pretty sick this morning."

"That sucks."

She looked around.

"You going to the meeting tonight at Mark's?" she whispered to him.

"No I can't. I'm working."

"Oh well, one less person, one more."

Cristina told him about their new addition.

"Well the more people, the less work for the rest of us."

"Agreed."

They were quiet for several seconds.

"Would you ever consider going out with me?" Jackson asked.

Cristina didn't answer right away. No, she hadn't been all that shocked by his asking. She had been thinking about it a lot lately. He was starting to grow on her, and she could see herself liking him more than as just friends.

"How about we start off with a drink at Joe's tomorrow night?"

"Sounds good," he smiled and walked off.

-

Izzie and Lexie had decided to head over to the trailer, pick up the dress and then to head over to Mark's to drop it off along with some of the decorations they had picked up on their way to his place. They hung the dress up in the closet in the foyer, knowing it probably wouldn't be a good idea to hand it in Mark's closest. Although it would have been funny to see his face when he found a dress hanging with his clothes.

They had found the bride's maids' dresses hanging in the same closest and decided this would be the closest for all of the clothes for the wedding. Not that there were very many others. There still was the tuxes which Mark needed to go rent along with the little ring bearer outfit. They still hadn't heard what Miranda had said about the wedding or whether she was coming or not, but they were sure she'd be delighted and honoured that they picked Tuck as the ring bearer, or at least they hoped she would be.

Just as they were settling down, getting ready to discuss more topics, the phone rang. Neither one of them knew if they should answer.

"You answer it," Lexie told Izzie.

"No way. What if it's Derek? Don't you think he'd get suspicious if I answered the phone at Mark's?"

"He knows Mark is working, so he wouldn't call here." She sighed. "Fine I'll answer."

She picked up the phone on the fourth ring.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Carolyn Shepard. Mark isn't there is he?"

"No he's at work. I can take a message if you'd like."

"No, no, that's alright. Who am I speaking to?"

"Lexie. We've met before."

"Of course. So you and Mark are still together?"

Lexie felt a little uncomfortable, but she decided she might as well answer her questions. She was much like a mother to Mark and she and Mark were getting pretty serious, so she could end up family.

"Yes actually. In a rough spot, but it's working out."

"So are you alone at his apartment? He doesn't keep you locked away does he?"

Lexie laughed. "No, I'm here with a friend, well more a friend of Meredith's. We're using Mark's apartment as storage for the wedding considering the rest of us organizing it live in the same house as her right now."

"Oh, I'm glad you mentioned the wedding. It's actually why I was calling. I didn't want to bring it up, not knowing who was aware of it." She paused. "As the groom's mother, I was wondering if there was anything I could do, even though I'm halfway across the country. Whether it's ordering things or money, you name it, I'm here to help."

Lexie thought about it, than suggested that she could organize accommodations when it came to rooms at the Inn. She gave her the number of rooms, the number of people in each room and the amount of rooms already being used the night of the actual wedding by the Seattle crew.

"That makes me feel a little more useful. If there's anything else, don't be afraid to call. I still don't know how you guys are affording all this."

"Let's just say that so far, we've come out lucky when it came to pricing and who owed who favours."

"Well whatever I can do to help, I'm there."

"Thank you, and I'll make sure we let you know if there is anything else you can help with."

"Please do. Well, it was nice talking to you Lexie."

"You too Ms. Shepard."

"Please call me Carolyn. And by the sounds of it, it'll be soon enough that you can call me mom. Make sure my Markie doesn't get you into trouble."

Lexie blushed.

"Talk to you soon Lexie."

"Yeah, bye."

Lexie hung up and turned to Izzie, her face still burning.

"What was that last bit about? I followed pretty much until the end." Izzie asked curiously.

" Let's just say it had nothing to do with Meredith and Derek."

-

It was twelve minutes and thirty-six seconds after three. Meredith had been watching the clock for the past forty five minutes, watching the seconds tick by slower and slower. She had stayed in the on call room, not wanting to get up from the bed she was comfortably tucked in. But she knew it was time to head up to her appointement.

The elevator seemed to be taking forever to go from the surgical floor to the maternity ward. She was afraid of getting off the elevator when it dinged letting her know she had reached her floor. She was in her scrubs, so to anyone around her, it would just seem as if she was heading up for somebody else's medical consult. Not her own.

She found the waiting room to the check up area. She would be getting her first ultrasound. The technology had been so advanced it could catch an image of the foetus after just two weeks of being conceived. According to Bailey, she was at least three weeks along.

She took a seat in an empty corner of the waiting room. She felt out of place. All of the other woman here looked like they were fairly far along. She had guessed that most of them were probably between four months and eight. Except for this one girl sitting closest to her. She looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old and not very far along, if actually pregnant. Meredith decided she'd go over and sit by her side.

"Hi, I'm Meredith."

The girl looked up and noticed the scrubs.

"Are you a doctor?"

"Yes I am, but not at the moment. I'm probably here for the same reason you are."

"Except you've probably got a bunch of people who are excited for you and can't wait for the baby to come."

Meredith looked at the young girl and nodded.

"I understand a little about where you're coming from. I know from experience what's it's like to feel alone, to feel like nobody loves you, but you'll find it someday. And to be honest, nobody knows about my baby yet."

The girl looked at her in shock, but didn't say anything.

"How far along are you?" Meredith asked.

"Two and a half months."

"And have you told anyone yet?"

"Other than my mom, no. But when I told her, she looked like she was about to kick me out of the house so I'm afraid to talk to her about it."

"Well," Meredith pulled out a sheet of paper from her pocket and wrote her cell number and her pager number and passed it to the young girl, "if ever you need someone to talk to, call me or text me. I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who's afraid of being a mother."

The girl looked at her and said with a smile. "From how you've treated me the last five minutes, I think you'll make an amazing mother. I'm Elisabeth by the way."

Meredith smiled at the young girl and was about to add something, but her name was called out.

"Don't forget," she told Elisabeth," anytime you need help."

"Thank you."

Meredith walked up to the counter, suddenly feeling less afraid. She had people who were there to support her and people who loved her no matter what. She felt bad for Elisabeth and how she didn't have anybody to talk to. She was proud of herself for helping the young girl and giving her someone to confide in like she needed.

"Meredith Grey," she said as she approached the desk. The nurse behind the counter passed her a smock.

"You can head into room 267. There you have a few minutes to get changed. The doctor will be with you momentarily."

Meredith headed into the room, and being alone again made her fears come back. She pulled what looked like a night gown over her head and put her scrubs on the chair next to the exam table. She climbed onto it and shut her eyes tight. It felt weird being in the opposite position than usual.

After what seemed like an eternity and a half, she heard the door open and close along with the sound of high heels. _Good, a female_ she thought.

"Sorry to keep you waiting" the doctor apologized. Then she paused, still too far from the exam table to be getting ready for the ultra sound.

"Meredith?"

Meredith opened her eyes and noticed her chart still sitting in the pocket reserved for it at the end of the bed. She then looked up at the doctor and her eyes widened.

_This has to be a dream. All of this is a dream._

But it wasn't. Addison Montgomery was standing feet away, just as shocked as Meredith had been.

-

_It had been quite early when Addison received a call from Dr Owen Hunt. She had met him in the two times she had been to Seattle since his arrival there. She wondered about what he would possibly want at such an early hour in the morning._

"_Hello?" she answered._

"_Hello, is this Dr. Montgomery?"_

"_Yes. How may I help you?"_

_Owen gave her an overview of the patient who had come in to the pit during the night and Addison jumped on the jet of the practice she worked for in LA. _

_She had made it there by nine o'clock and was immediately swept away to the OR, where they had already prepped the patient so she would be ready at her arrival. There was a lot of damage, but she managed to save her and the baby, with very little complications._

_She scrubbed out, hoping to catch up with a few people but couldn't find anybody. Neither Derek, nor Mark had been anywhere in sight and Callie was in surgery. She didn't see Miranda either. She got a little worried._

_Finally, she ran in to Richard who was just getting off of the elevator. _

"_Richard!" she exclaimed and gave him a great big hug._

"_Addie! What are you doing here?"_

"_I got a call this morning from Dr. Hunt about an emergency, hopped on a plane and here I am!"_

"_How is being back at Seattle Grace?" he asked._

"_I miss it more and more every time I come," she admitted._

"_Maybe you should stay here for a few days and that may drag you back."_

"_That's not a half bad idea," she said. "Maybe get a few consults, a couple of surgeries." Just then her pager went off."I swear, it's like they've got mikes programmed into us."_

"_It was nice talking to you" Richard called as she ran off._

"_You too."_

_She took the elevator to the maternity ward where she found out the usual OBG was out sick and the others couldn't make it in. They asked her if she'd be willing to do a few consults for today, her last one being at three thirty when one of the other doctors would be in. She agreed and took the list of rooms to visit, forgetting the list of patients to go with it._

_She had done about a dozen consults before she realized it was a little after three thirty. She was running late. She made it to room 267 and hadn't even looked over to the patient before apologizing for being late. When she turned around, she froze dead in her tracks._

"_Meredith?"_

"Oh god," Meredith whispered. "I'm sorry, this is totally uncomfortable, ugh I'm an idiot, I should have asked who the replacement doctor was and whether I could get someone-"

Addison cut her off.

"I see the rambling hasn't dulled down any." She giggled which made Meredith smile. "Meredith, don't worry about it. You didn't know any different. It's my fault and if I had realized it and thought it wouldn't be appropriate, I could have gotten someone else to do it. But it's fine. I won't hold this against you. Derek and I parted on good terms and we're still friends. He loves you and I have completely accepted that. He must be thrilled about this." She was laying a cold blue jelly across Meredith's stomach. Meredith turned red at Addison's last words.

"He actually doesn't know." Meredith said in almost a whisper. Addison stopped and looked at Meredith in the eyes.

"He is the father, right?"

Meredith giggled.

"Of course he is. It's just that I only found out this morning and Bailey's the only one who knows because Derek's in meetings all day with the hospital board."

"Isn't that the chief's job?"

Meredith was stunned at her question.

"You didn't hear? He is the chief."

"But I saw Richard just earlier today."

"Yeah, he's and attending."

"Wow things have changed."

"Oh yes they have."

There was a short silence.

"Okay if I understood properly, Derek is the father, but he doesn't know and not because you don't want to tell him but because you haven't had the chance?"

"I couldn't have explained it better myself."

The two girls talked a little longer, almost as if they had been long time friends who hadn't seen each other in years. Meredith was updating Addie on all the changes at Seattle Grace and even told her about the house her and Derek were building which only seemed to make Addie even more comfortable with the young resident. In her turn, she told her all about LA and her latest boyfriend and their terrible breakup. She even told her about the possibility of coming back to Seattle. Meredith encouraged her to, telling her they needed to outnumber the Mercy Wester's. Addison laughed and told her that the only way she would be able to come back would be by getting Derek's approval now that he was chief.

"No problem. If you want to come back, Derek shouldn't be able to argue that with the board. Besides, if he tries to, I can always convince him that we need you here."

Addison was taken aback.

"You'd do that for me?"

"Hey, after you calming me down today and the honest chat we had, it would be the least I could do if you wanted it."

Addie couldn't believe she had become friends with the one person she had least expected. She leaned over and gave Meredith a hug.

"What was that for?" Meredith asked.

"For making up my mind into doing the right thing. Besides, I see the beginning of a possible friendship. Who would have thought?"

Meredith's eyes became all watery. She laughed as Addie passed her a tissue.

"Yeah who would have thought."

-

Derek's meetings with the board had ended a little earlier than planned. He decided that he'd head back to the hospital, get an update on the day and then take his wife home. He took the elevator like usual up to the surgical floor and looked around for someone he could get an update from.

He spotted Richard by the nurse's station and headed over to him. He was definitely the best bet for getting a good update.

"Richard," he greeted him.

"Derek. How were your meetings with the board?"

"Long."

Richard chuckled.

"The one thing I'm grateful of not having to do anymore."

"So how were things here today?"

"Routine," he answered, "except for Hunt's surgery. He got only but the best to perform the surgery."

Derek looked confused. "Hunt got a consult from another hospital and didn't tell me?"

"You weren't here and the patient lived so isn't that all that matters?"

"Yeah I guess. Is this infamous doctor already gone back or will I get the chance to meet them."

Richard chuckled.

"I'm sure you've already met, and she's planning on staying a little while and maybe even coming back to Seattle. The board will be delighted, but you might not share their enthusiasm."

Derek was confused, and then something dinged inside of him.

"It's Addison, isn't it?"

Richard smiled.

"Do you know where she is?" Derek asked, needing to speak to her.

"Last I heard she was filling in for Dr. Peterson. She's probably doing check-ups right now."

And Derek headed towards the elevator without even saying goodbye.

-

Addie and Meredith were still chatting when there was a knock at the door.

"Dr. Montgomery, it's the chief of surgery. Can I come in?"

Both Meredith and Addison turned ghost white.

"Crap, oh crap oh crap."

"Don't worry, stay quiet and I'll try to get him to go away. If not, I won't tell him it's you but I may need to bring him in. Just breathe."

"Okay."

Addison got off the end of the exam table where she had been sitting.

"Coming," she called when she arrived at the door. She opened it and shut it quickly behind her.

"Derek!" she said as if she were excited to see him. But honestly, she was just worried she'd ruin the moment between Meredith and Derek if he were to find out like this. She didn't want him to read into something, so she faked her enthusiasm. Luckily, Derek was too absorbed in something to notice.

"You accept a consult from an attending without the chief's permission and then you go and take over someone else's job for the afternoon."

"Derek, the patient would have died if it hadn't been for my coming here and I'm doing these consults because the regular doctor is sick. I'm not doing anything wrong."

Derek let out a heavy sigh.

"Now I've got a patient waiting for me –" Derek cut her off.

"Your patient can wait. Besides, your check-up was scheduled for three-thirty and it's now after four so it should have ended a long time ago."

"Derek, I think you may want to take that back."

"What?"

Addison opened the door to the room and led Derek in.

-

Derek didn't understand. Why would the patient have any importance to him? Unless it was surgical, which it wasn't or else Addie would have just told him, it made no difference.

He regretted his thoughts when he saw his beautiful Meredith sitting in her scrubs on the exam table, a smile on her face.

"Mer...Mered...Meredith?"

He was standing facing her and before she could say anything, he grabbed her hands. _This can't be _he thought.

"We're going to have a baby," Meredith announced.

Derek's eyes widened and the next thing he knew he was on the floor.

"That was worth seeing," Addison said while Meredith giggled.

-

Derek had been out five minutes before Addison came back with a spray bottle. She gave Meredith the honours to spray him but she shook her head.

"You can do it. I'm sure you're aching to do it by the look on your face."

Addison grinned and sprayed Derek. He jumped.

"What happened?" he said as he shook his head to clear it from unconsciousness.

"Your wife just announced she was pregnant and you fainted" Addison answered as if it was nothing. "Wimp," she added in a whisper.

Meredith caught Derek's eyes going from hers, down to her stomach and back to her eyes, as if needing a confirmation on what his ex-wife had just told him.

"I'm pregnant," she said with a shrug.

"I'll give you two some time alone." Addison walked out and shut the door behind her.

"I'm sorry," Meredith started apologizing, "this isn't how I was planning on telling you. Bailey tried calling you this morning when we found out but you phone was off and –"

Derek stopped her by putting his fingers on her lips.

"Stop apologizing. You don't need to be sorry, you need to relax."

Meredith's eyes welled with tears.

"Ugh, these stupid pregnant hormones." She wiped her eyes with her sleeve.

Derek chuckled.

"They make you that much more beautiful." He kissed her softly on the lips and didn't release until they heard a knocking at the door.

"Come in," Derek said, taking Meredith's hand in his own.

"Sorry for interrupting your alone time, but someone was about to force me out of the way," Addison apologized.

"Meredith, how are you? Did everything go as planned?" Miranda was back and was hovering again.

"Other than the surprise I got when Addison was standing just feet away or Derek's barging in, it was all pretty good."

Miranda smiled and nodded. Then she looked at Derek.

"You're such a fool!" she said she slapped in the arm.

"What was that for?"

"You didn't even realize your own wife was pregnant! I've known for days!"

"Miranda, calm down," Addison giggled. "Don't blame Derek. Very few of the fathers clue in before hearing it from the mothers. Derek's just a regular guy in this case."

"Yeah, a regular guy with a medical degree! What did you learn in medical school?"

They discussed Derek's idiocy for a while, the three women all putting in their input, even Meredith at times.

"Okay, well getting back to the baby, you're about four and a half weeks along. He or she is perfectly healthy and on the right track. You'll need to come back in a month for your monthly check up. If you would prefer, you can have another doctor, but I don't mind a bit. Besides, it gives me a chance to get to know you better." She turned towards Derek. "Oh, and by the way, I would like to look at a contract to come back and work at Seattle Grace."

Derek smiled and nodded his head.

"Meet me in my office in fifteen minutes and we have a deal."


	6. New friends, new findings, new future

Derek and Meredith headed towards his office, hand in hand and smiling. Things couldn't be going any better. They were happy, and not even Addison could ruin that. In actuality, it seemed she had made things better, easier on Meredith.

And she was pregnant. He was going to be a father. His smile got a whole lot bigger.

When he closed the door to his office, he headed straight for the back of the room to close the blinds. It's not like they were about to do something that wouldn't be appropriate for the entire hospital to see. He just wanted some privacy with his wife, the mother of his first child.

He glanced at Meredith once the blinds were completely closed. And he smiled the most amazing McDreamy smile Meredith had ever seen. He walked slowly towards her and once he reached her, lifted her off the ground and spun her around. She giggled at his enthusiasm, but was glad when he set her down on the couch.

"I can't believe this," he said as he dragged her onto his lap and rested his hands on her stomach. She rested her hands on top of his. He kissed her gently on the neck, and when she turned her face to his, he made his way to her lips. She smiled in to them as they sat there, in a trance. When finally they released, his expression became a bit more serious.

"Are you okay with this? I mean, we were planning on waiting. Will you be able to handle all the stress?"

"That's what you're here for," she responded. "To suffer with me, but to receive the most amazing gift in return."

Derek's over smiling expression came back.

"Who knows?" he asked.

"Well official, just you Miranda and Addison. But according to Miranda it's completely obvious so half of the hospital might have guessed."

He laughed.

"Well it probably won't be long until they all know." He sighed. "I wish we could just keep a secret for more than a week here. Something we wouldn't have to answer questions about, or hear the non-ending whispers of the people around us."

"Well, what if we try to break a record and be the longest secret holders in the hospital?"

Derek thought about, but agreed, with conditions.

"We need to tell some people. I want to tell Mark, and I'm sure you want to tell Cristina."

"Yeah and probably Lexie too, I mean, we have been getting a lot closer."

"Okay and Lexie too."

"What about Richard? I feel like I should tell him, I want to tell him. He'll basically be the grandfather. He has a right to know."

"Okay and Richard."

"Izzie will be pissed if I don't tell her, but I think I can handle it. Besides, it won't be to long before it's obvious. I'm going to get bigger and even more hormonal."

"Well your scrubs hide things physically and you can say the hormonal things are due to medications you are on." Meredith giggled.

"Yeah I'm sure Izzie will believe me if I tell her I'm on anti-depressants."

Just then, Addison walked in, Miranda right behind. Derek lifted Meredith and set her on the couch before heading over to his desk and taking out a contract.

"I called the practice in LA and let them know about my resignation. They said that my contract will end in a week, so I need to head back for a little while, plus I need to pack. Oh damnit, I still need to find an apartment here."

"I'm sure you could use the trailer," Derek suggested with a smirk.

"Ha. Never in my life will I ever live in a trailer again. NEVER!"

They all laughed.

"You can stay with me until you find one," Miranda offered. Addison thanked her and told her she'd be out as fast as she could.

"So it's settled. You'll start here next week. We'll make sure we have an office ready for your arrival."

"I'm actually thrilled to be coming back. I never thought I would be, but I am. And it looks like I've already got my first patient." She smiled at Meredith who smiled back. "Congratulations by the way you two. It's what you deserved."

Derek couldn't believe how genuine Addie was. It sort of scared him. He had noticed that Meredith was completely comfortable with her. He didn't know what had happened before he barged into the check up room, but he knew that whatever it was had brought the two women together.

He didn't know whether to be thrilled or scared.

-

Richard noticed the smile on Miranda's face as she walked by.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" he asked.

"You'll find out soon."

Just then his pager went off, calling him to Derek's office. He didn't know if this was the reason Miranda was more joyful then usual or something he should be afraid of.

When he arrived, he saw a sight that shocked him. Derek, Meredith and Addie were all sitting in the office chatting away like the best of friends. None of them seemed the least bit uncomfortable.

He then noticed the contract sitting on Derek's lap.

"Addie, you're staying?" He smiled when she nodded.

"Wow that really is a reason to be excited. I just spotted Miranda and she had a smile the size of a banana on her face."

"Oh that's not the reason she was smiling," Addie said as she looked over to Meredith, telling her now was the time.

"I'm pregnant," she told the man who had been like a father to her.

"Oh my gosh Meredith! That's wonderful! How long have you known?"

"I found out this morning, but Miranda has known for days now, she just didn't bother telling me."

"And I've known for about an hour," Derek added

"And all I have to say is I knew before Derek," Addie said proudly.

Richard was stunned and confused. Why would Meredith have told Addison before she told Derek?

"She was my patient," Addie said, reading Richards look. "It was a little weird at the beginning, but it all turned out okay. She's the reason I'm staying. Well either that or the reason I'm not leaving."

The two men looked at her for an explanation.

"When I left Seattle, it wasn't because I didn't like it. Sure the rain gets pretty annoying, but it's a nice place. The reason I left was because I didn't want to be the thing standing in the way of Derek and Meredith's relationship. I knew it would be awkward for me to be here, while they went through all the steps to get to where they are now." She paused. "When I came back the first time, I was so pissed at Derek for having broken up with you," she was looking at Meredith. "I couldn't believe that I had left to let you guys have your space and I come back to find out you weren't even together anymore?

She stared at Derek.

"I don't know what you were thinking then, but I'm glad you've come to your senses."

"Me too."

"Anyway, when I came back the second time and everybody was making comments about us," she pointed towards Derek and herself, "I felt absolutely terrible and knew that that was why I had left in the first place. When Naomi and Mark were talking about our wedding in front of you, Meredith, I wanted to kill them, especially Mark. But when I found out that he was going to propose, it made me feel so much better knowing that I hadn't ruined anything."

"Actually," Derek added. "If you had called about an hour later, we would have been engaged." Then he realized he committed an error. He hadn't told Meredith about his original plan. "I had our bedroom decorated with flowers, the bed covered in rose petals and candles everywhere in the room. Mark had helped me with everything. Just after he left, you phoned me and I cleared everything."

"I'm sorry, I hadn't realized."

"You had no way of knowing. Besides, even though it hadn't been perfect, I got that ring on her finger."

"So to finish my long boring story," Addison continued, "when I came back in January, it comforted me knowing that I hadn't gotten in the way, that you guys still got your ever ever after. That's why this time, I decided I would stay. I knew I wouldn't get in the way of everything."

Meredith was in tears, touched by Addison's speech. She hadn't realized it until Derek whipped the tears from under her eyes.

"Sorry," she mumbled quietly.

"Nobody needs to apologize. I've got everything I need. A family on its way, a mentor who always did what was best for me and a friend I thought I had lost forever. Life couldn't get much better than this."

Richard thought about how it could. And he knew it would. But he wasn't going to say a thing.

-

After his only surgery that day, Mark headed to the bridal shop down town. It was getting close to six o'clock, but he knew it was open until seven thirty. He had two hours before the meeting at his place, so he knew he had plenty of time.

"Hi," he said as he approached the front desk. "I'm here to rent two tuxes."

"No problem. Is one of them going to be yours?"

"Yes."

"Would you like to get that one fitted now or would you want to wait and come back when the other one will be fitted too?"

"Actually, I'm here to have both of them fitted tonight."

The lady behind the desk looked confused.

"We're planning a surprise wedding for my best friend. Him and his wife, future wife whatever don't know about it. It's a long story. They're married but they got married with a post it."

The lady behind the cash laughed.

"You must be Mark Sloan," she said.

Mark didn't know how this woman knew his name, let alone who he was. She took his expression as a hint that she should continue.

"I'm Molly, Molly Grey, Lexie and Meredith's sister."

Mark didn't know what to say.

"I don't actually work here. My best friend owns this place, and she was sick so I told her I could come in tonight for her if she wanted me to. She told me it wasn't usually very busy on a Tuesday night, so I'd basically just have to sit here in case. Looks like it was worth it."

"Well it's nice to finally meet you," he held out his hand and shook with her.

"Well Lexie has told me so much about you that it doesn't feel like I'm meeting you for the first time. It's almost like I already know who you are."

They both laughed.

"I guess I don't really need to explain the whole situation then, considering you already know the story."

"Yeah, and I've got to say I think it's really sweet what you guys are doing for them. If there's anything I can help with, let me know."

Mark nodded and they headed to the back of the shop to try on some tuxes.

It had been an hour before they finally found two matching tuxes in the same size. He brought both of them to the cash and was ready to pay for the rentals when she shook her head.

"No way. This is my gift."

Mark smiled and thanked her.

"Hey, we're having a meeting tonight about the wedding. Would you like to join us? Lexie won't be there, but at least it'll give you a chance to meet everyone else. We could really use some extra hands."

She agreed and the two of them left the shop at closing time, Molly following close behind Mark in her car towards Mark's apartment.

-

So far, they were five of them. Cristina, Alex and Izzie were sitting on the floor, notebooks, papers and a phone book spread out in front of them. Callie had gone across the hall to get some snacks and Arizona was on her phone, talking to one of her friends who owned a DJ business. It seemed like this group had more connections then the president.

It was a few minutes after eight when Mark came in, followed by a woman.

"Lexie won't be too happy when she found out you brought another woman to your apartment." Cristina looked at the woman. "Lexie is his current girlfriend and Mark is still a man whore."

The woman giggled, the same giggle as Lexie and Meredith.

"I know," she said. "About Lexie and the man whore thing. I'm Molly Grey."

"I knew I recognized you," Alex said as the two newcomers entered the living room.

They joined the crew of organizers sprawled across the floor and after introductions were made, Molly enjoyed herself more then she had expected.

"I'm so glad to meet you," Izzie had exclaimed. "I'm actually meeting your husband on Thursday."

Mark looked at her, confused. Molly answered his gaze.

"My husband's a chef. He's helping with the meal."

Mark nodded in understanding and helped where he could.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Everybody went quiet.

"Watch, it'll be Derek. He'll ruin everything. All this hard work for nothing." Izzie was freaking out.

"It's not Derek," Mark said. "He would have called first. He's afraid of what he'll be interrupting."

"But I thought you were on a sex-ban?" Cristina laughed.

"Shut up Yang."

He got up from his spot and opened the door. There standing in front of him was Richard.

"Heard there was a meeting for the wedding. Thought I'd stop by and see where I could help."

-

Derek and Meredith were shocked by the silence of the house when they got home. Just the night before, they walked in on six laughing people. Tonight there were none.

"I wonder where everyone is."

"Well, Lexie and Jackson are working, and Alex was talking about taking Izzie out for dinner. Maybe they're just not home yet."

"What about Cristina?" Derek had hoped that Meredith's person would be home so she would get a chance to talk to her. But they hadn't seen or heard much of anybody all day. After Richard left his office that afternoon, Meredith and Derek, along with Addison, Miranda and Tuck, had gone to a quiet little café to catch up. They had spent several hours, chatting comfortably, before the more touchy subjects came up.

"_So, Meredith, are you sure you're comfortable with me being your doctor?" Addie still wasn't sure what grounds they stood on, but she hoped they were alright._

"_I think it could be interesting, but definitely not a problem. At least, not anymore."_

"_Have you told your mom and your sisters yet Derek?"_

_Derek hadn't even thought about that._

"_Well we're flying out there in two weeks for the family reunion, so I think we'll just wait and tell them in person." He stopped, considering something he hadn't thought about before. "Meredith can fly, right?"_

"_Yes, for now. Once she's about half way there, it's not such a good idea anymore, but she's okay for now. And tell everyone I said hi."_

"_Will do."_

_They continued their conversation._

"I don't know where Cristina is. Maybe at Joe's."

Derek took that as a reasonable response.But he was aching to tell Mark about the good news. He knew it would probably be a better idea to let Meredith tell Cristina first, but he needed to know Mark was excited for him. Meredith left a message on Cristina's phone, which had been turned off according to the message system. He swiped her up in his arms and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He carried her to the living room, where he lay her down and settled himself on top of her. He didn't put any weight on her upper body, afraid he'd hurt her. He sway back and forth and did so with a huge grin on his face.

"No Derek, not tonight."

"But I heard its best when you're pregnant." He was begging now.

"We'll test that theory another night. I just need to let it all sink in for tonight."

He couldn't argue with that. "Okay then." He settled down, laying his head on her stomach.

"Hey there little guy," he said to the baby. "I'm your daddy. I can't wait to get to hold you in my arms. I'm so excited to have you in my life. You and your mommy are the most important people in my life. Don't ever forget that. We love you more then you can imagine."

Meredith, once again was in tears. Derek pulled up her shirt and kissed her stomach, letting one of his own tears hit her belly. They were both emotional wrecks.

"This feels so unbelievable," she whispered. "Nothing has changed physically yet, but emotionally, I feel like a whole new person. It feels right."

"It feels amazing," Derek added putting his head back down on her bare stomach. "I can't believe that in less than eight months, we'll be parents."

"I still can't believe this is actually happening. Just this morning I thought it had been something I ate. Now I feel like an idiot for not having realized it. Derek, does that make me a bad mother? Not even realizing I was pregnant?"

"No Mer, it makes you human."

"I love you Derek."

"I love you too Meredith. And you too baby."

-

It was nearing nine o'clock when Mark's home phone rang. Everybody had been so concentrated on what they were doing that they all jumped.

"I'll get it," Mark said as he got up from his seat on the floor against the couch where he had just been working on seating arrangements with Molly and Cristina.

"Everyone, quiet," Izzie instructed.

And it was lucky that she had.

"Hello?" Mark answered.

"Mark, I'm glad you're home, do you think you could come over?"

He looked around the room.

"I can't Derek. I have company."

Izzie's eyes widened. She was afraid Mark would blow the secret.

"Who?" Derek asked.

"Molly Grey, Lexie and Meredith's sister. I ran into her when I was in town and she had guessed who I was right away, we got to talking and I invited her over for drinks." Mark was playing it cool, and he hadn't said a single thing that wasn't true. Including the drink part. If they were planning on organizing a wedding in such a short time, they needed alcohol.

"Does Lexie know?" Derek asked.

"No. Derek, don't worry. Callie and Arizona are here too."

"Okay then. I just don't want you hurting my sister in law."

"Trust me, I won't."

"Okay, well I still need to talk to you. Come to my office tomorrow?"

"Okay then. I'll see you tomorrow."

He hung up and everybody let out a sigh.

"That was close," Alex commented.

"Yeah, but I didn't have to lie, so there was no way of him knowing what was really going on."

Moments later, the phone rang again.

"Hello?" Mark wasn't worried this time. He knew Derek wouldn't call back.

"Hey Mark!"

"Addie?"

He didn't know why she was calling him. For all he knew, she was still in LA. He hadn't been around the hospital much today, and when he was, he had been in surgery.

"Yeah, it's me. Just wanted to let you know I'm back in Seattle. For good this time."

"That's great! Derek's letting you?"

"Yeah, he owes me big time." Addison stopped, knowing she had said too much. She didn't know whether Mark knew about Meredith or whether Derek wanted him to know about just yet. So she continued before he could say anything. "Anyway, I went out for coffee with him, Meredith, Bailey and Tuck and we're definitely on good terms. I can even see a friendship growing between Meredith and me."

Mark was shocked. What could have possibly happened to her? Friends with her ex-husbands new wife. The world must be spinning the opposite way.

"Wow, that's um, great."

"I know, it's a shocker, but she's an amazing person and she makes Derek happy, so that's all that matters, right?"

"Oh okay then."

"So what are you up to?"

Mark hesitated before answering.

"You have to promise me you won't tell Meredith or Derek."

"Mark, what is going on?"

"You'll have to come over to find out."

-

Addison got out of the elevator on the floor Mark had informed her he was living on. She was glad to see that they could stay friends, especially since the last time she had seen him, she had been the rebound girl. But she guessed she deserved it. The first time, he had been the rebound.

She hoped that he wasn't planning on a repeat. She didn't want to have another relationship with Mark other than just being friends again. Like in the beginning. Derek had informed her that Mark and Lexie were back together, and were getting pretty serious. She was happy for Mark. This was his first serious relationship and she didn't want to ruin that. But she hadn't expected what she saw next.

When she knocked, she had expected Mark to open. But it hadn't been him.

"Addie! Long time no see," Richard said sarcastically.

"Richard, what are you doing here?"

"Same reason everyone else is here."

"Everyone else?" she asked.

Richard opened the door wider, inviting her in. She hadn't realized that she was coming over to a full house.

She recognized most of the faces. Yang, Karev, Stevens, Callie and Mark. She even remembered Arizona from the last few times she had been in Seattle. There was just one of them she didn't know. She recognized her, but couldn't remember how.

"Addie!" Mark rushed over to give her a great big hug.

"Mark, you didn't tell me you were hosting a party."

"Hi there doctor Montgomery," Izzie greated.

"Please, outside of the hospital, I'm Addison." She couldn't believe how much she had changed. If it been just a few years before, when she was in Seattle and these people were her interns, she never would have been with them outside of the hospital, let alone letting them call her by her first name. But she was a different person now.

"Okay then. Are you here to help?"

"Help with what. What's going on here?"

Mark hesitated, but knew she would find out anyway. Besides he had invited her and she said she had been on good terms with Derek and Meredith and that she was becoming friends with her. She would probably feel accepted if the let her help.

"We're planning a surprise wedding for Meredith and Derek."

Addison gave him a confused look. "I thought they were already married?"

Mark laughed. "You mean you haven't heard their definition of married?"

Addison shook her head. She had probably heard something about it, but couldn't remember.

"Well, after giving up their wedding for Alex and Izzie cause of the cancer, they decided they'd just go to city hall, sign some papers and have it over and done with, but there was so much drama going on in the hospital that they didn't have the time, but they didn't want to wait any longer, seeing all these people dying before they had the chance of doing what they wanted to do most, so the wrote their vows on a post-it and signed it, claiming it to be their wedding."

Addison laughed.

"Sounds like Derek," she said.

"So we want to give them what they should have had."

Addison didn't know what she should say. She hoped that it wouldn't be too stressful on Meredith, considering her condition, but she couldn't say anything, knowing they were planning on keeping it a secret. She decided to inquire on details.

"When is it?"

"Two weeks from tomorrow."

"Two weeks? How long have you guys been planning this?"

"Since last night." They updated her on all the things that were already taken care of. She couldn't believe the amount of work they had gotten done in such a short period of time.

"I know who I'm calling if I ever need to plan a wedding. How can I help?"

-

Miranda was back at the hospital, but not for work. She was there to help Meredith. They had ordered pre-natal vitamins after her appointment and they had told them they'd be ready in a few hours, them having run out that day. Miranda decided she'd pick them up and drop them off before heading home. Addison was planning on staying the night and leaving early the next morning. She needed to get home before her so that Addie wouldn't be locked out.

"Hi I'm here to pick up pre-natal vitamins for Meredith Grey," she said to the pharmacist behind the counter. He pulled out a bag and passed it over the counter. She was just about to head out the door when Dr. Avery reached her.

"I'm not a doctor right now, find someone else," she said just before he was about to speak.

"No, this has nothing to do with work. It's about Derek and Meredith."

Miranda was sure they weren't going to tell anyone. Or very little. How did Dr. Avery already know? She wasn't going to say anything, so she let him continue.

"There's a group of us that are planning them a surprise wedding to thank them for everything that they did for us. We want it to be perfect, well as good as the perfect wedding can get when the bride and groom don't know about it, so we want you to be there."

Miranda let go of the breath she hadn't known she was holding, and smiled.

"You guys are probably the best friends in the world, organizing a wedding for your friends on your free time. When is this infamous wedding and who else is involved?"

He gave her the date, time and location, gave all the names he had last heard about including Arizona, Callie and Richard, and their meeting place. He told her she was welcome to join them anytime.

"Oh and one more thing," Jackson said after Miranda thanked him for the invitation. "We were wondering if Tuck wanted to be the ring bearer. After everything you've done for that relationship we needed to include you somehow."

"I think he'd be delighted."


	7. One Step Ahead

Cristina had the day off and the only time Meredith had seen her before leaving for work was in the kitchen with the rest of the clan. She hadn't thrown up yet that morning and was hoping she wouldn't at all, but that still didn't help with the fact that she needed to tell her person. She didn't mind that Derek was going to be able to tell Mark first, as long as she was that one Cristina heard it from. She decided she'd wait until that night.

She was still exhausted and overwhelmed by everything that had happened the day before, but she knew she needed to work. She couldn't take time off right now. She still needed to take time off when it came to maternity leave, so she'd need to try and be at work as much as possible now even when she felt crappy. Besides, she needed to cut.

Unluckily, she couldn't convince her boss that she was fine. He wouldn't let her convince him that she needed to work. That she needed to stay on top of things so that she wouldn't forget.

"You should just go and relax for a little bit," he told her when she came out of the bathroom after just having run in. Her morning sickness definitely was going to get the best of her.

"No I'm fine," she said unconvincingly.

Disadvantage of being married to the chief; he had complete control over when you worked.

"I want my baby and it's mommy to be fully in shape and not stressed out. Meredith, take it easy, everything is going to be fine." He kissed her quickly in front of many starring eyes, but no one had caught on to their little discussion. He never usually was one for public displays of affection, but he felt so good today that he really didn't care. He told himself he would kiss her and hold her hand every time he saw her today. He smiled even more at the thought of spending the day chasing her down.

Derek headed to his office, taking the elevator to do so. He remembered his proposal in the elevator just a year before. It hadn't quite been perfect, but it had been the beginning to a new life so, it had all been worth it. Nothing could burst the bubble he was in. At least, that's what he thought.

When the elevator made its way to the floor he was on, he could hear Richard's voice long before he saw him. He was yelling.

"You better leave them the hell alone!" he screamed at whoever was in the elevator. Derek just stood there in shock when he saw his victim get off the elevator.

Rose ran off in the other direction, without even noticing Derek who was standing right there.

Derek walked onto the elevator robotically, knowing that he would be alone with Richard. He dreaded to find out what he was threatening his mistake of an ex-girlfriend with, but he had a feeling he would need to know. He needed to protect Meredith and he was afraid Rose was her biggest threat.

When Richard noticed the new comer, he immediately apologized for what he might have heard. Derek just walked to the back of the elevator and sat against the wall. He put his head between his knees and sighed deeply before Richard pulled the stop button and sat down beside him.

"I'm worried for Meredith," Richard said, as if an explanation for his earlier outburst.

"Me too. What was Rose doing that got you so mad?"

"She's been hinting for days now that she's still not over you and that she doesn't want you with Meredith. Most of the time, she dishes everything out when I'm around and I always end up standing up for you and Meredith. Today was the last straw. She was telling one of her friends her plan to break you guys up without realizing I was behind her on the elevator. When her friend got off, I needed to tell her that she was an idiot thinking that she'd be able to break up a happily married couple, that she would never succeed. I hope I scared her off for good this time," Richard finished with a smile.

"You didn't say anything about the baby, did you?"

"No, I knew better then to. I was tempted, just so she would shut up, but I knew that you guys wanted to keep it a secret, so I didn't say anything."

"Okay good," Derek let out a breath, in relief that their secret was still safe. He was afraid about what would happen to Meredith if Rose found out, but he didn't want to think about that. Rose had been a mistake that he was still paying for. He never wanted it to end up like this, but he was afraid that he would have to keep Rose as far away from Meredith as possible.

But he didn't have super powers. He couldn't do everything.

-

Bailey had the day off, so she wasn't sure how to make the time go by faster. She had dropped Addison off at the airport that morning and hadn't done much since. Tuck was at his fathers, and she already missed him, even though she had seen him the day before. She knew Callie had the day off, so she decided to call her and see what her plans were for the day.

"Miranda! What a surprise hearing from you!"

"Yeah, well I didn't know what to do with my day off, so I thought I'd call you to find out if you had plans."

"Actually, I'm going out for lunch with Cristina and Izzie to discuss wedding planning. Everyone has been so wrapped up in it, I'm surprised Meredith and Derek haven't caught on."

_They're thinking about other things,_ Miranda thought. She wasn't going to say anything, she couldn't. As a doctor, she wasn't legally allowed to tell anyone. Even if the patient was a very close friend.

"Yeah, well it seems that everyone else in Seattle knows." Miranda remembered getting home and being home alone until close to midnight before Addie had arrived.

"_I'm sorry," she apologized. "I was over at Mark's, I lost track of time."_

"_Addie, you do know Mark is back in a serious relationship with Lexie, don't you?"_

"_You thought Mark and I were…? Miranda, we've gotten over that. We're back to being just friends, nothing more."_

_Miranda looked at her with questioning eyes, wondering what else she could have been doing at Mark's._

"_I was helping organizing the wedding!" she said when she felt Miranda's eyes burning holes in her head._

_Miranda coughed._

"_You're helping with your ex-husbands wedding?"_

_Addie shrugged._

"_I know, it's weird, but I really am over it and I've moved on. I feel like I fit in now that I'm helping with the wedding. I even had a heart to heart conversation with Izzie."_

_Miranda had heard that Dr. Stevens was back, but hadn't realized that Addie was getting closer to the group of people who once had probably driven her crazy, the fact being that back when she had gotten to know them, she hated Meredith because she was stealing her husband and they were Meredith's people. This showed that Addie was really over everything._

"_So how's the planning coming along?"_

Miranda asked the same question when she got to lunch with Callie, Izzie and Cristina. They had been discussing menu ideas when she walked in and seemed to be completely lost in their own little world until they heard Miranda's voice.

"Dr. Bailey," Izzie got up to great her. She always had a profound respect for her resident even when she had started off and everyone else hated her. She felt lucky to have someone like Bailey rather than Cristina.

"Dr Stevens, long time no see." She sat down beside Callie and across from Cristina who seemed lost in another world.

"Dr Yang? You in there?" Bailey said while snapping her fingers. She didn't know if Meredith had told her about her pregnancy, but she knew that would have been enough to distract such a focused surgeon.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"So what do you need me to help with?" Bailey asked after the waitress brought her her coffee. She took a sip and nearly spit it out when Callie showed her the list of things left to do. The list was almost empty.

"And you guys only started organizing Monday night? It's hasn't even been 48 hours!"

"That's what I said!" Callie exclaimed. "But it looks like most things are taken care of.

All there was left on the list was picking up the flowers, thinking of decoration and getting them, hiring a makeup and hair person and finding a tux for Tuck.

"It's not a very fancy wedding, so we don't need to go head over heels in details. We have a location for the wedding reception and to keep Shepherd's family while they are here to visit, we have already told all the guests, we have a DJ and clothes for the entire wedding party except for Tuck and a chef whom Izzie will be meeting tomorrow."

Miranda was as taken away by all of this as much as everyone else had been when they heard the list of things that had already been done.

"Well, I can pick up the tux next time I have time with Tuck and I'm sure I would be able to help with decorations. What about getting time off for all of the Seattle crew?"

"Already taken care of. The board has a way to change who has what day off and Richard, with his connections, was more than glad to be able to help with getting everybody off for the 27th, the day of the wedding, without Derek knowing. If you have checked your schedule today, you'll notice that it's not the same as it was yesterday." Cristina had finally gotten into the conversation.

"Impressive," Bailey had to add. It was amazing what a group of close friends could get done.

"Oh and you also have a free night in the Inn we're staying in if you'd like. We're trying to fit everybody in the amount of rooms we have, so you might end up in a community room, but you don't need to stay either if you don't want to."

"Community room?"

"You may need to share a room with someone else. But we won't put you in a room with people you don't get along with." Callie glanced at Izzie and Cristina. "Or your former interns. Unless you want to…"

"No, that's alright. I wouldn't mind maybe staying with Addie. I mean I'm with her until she finds an apartment anyway. And Tuck obviously."

"Okay then." Izzie noted it and confirmed with Callie and Cristina that they would share a suite with Arizona, Mark and Lexie. Izzie would be staying in a double room with Alex and Jackson. It's not like the rooms would be getting much use anyway. They'd probably be up all night in the ballroom partying and most of the doctors would have to be back at work early the next morning.

"It looks like we may have extra rooms in the end." Izzie scrawled a few more notes then took a sip from her coffee.

"Did you guys think of inviting Thatcher?"

"Lexie told us that it would probably be pointless, that he wouldn't be able to come even if he had wanted to. He's in a rehab facility down in LA."

"Oh I didn't know." Miranda regretted what she had said, but knew that it hadn't been her fault. Last time she had seen him he had been sobered up. It was when he was in for his liver transplant that Meredith, being Meredith had volunteered part of her liver with the reminder that this may not have been her father, but it was her sister's dad and she couldn't stand seeing her so upset.

"So is any of Meredith's family coming?" Miranda asked more cautiously this time.

"Well obviously there's Lexie and her hospital family, minus George – "Izzie took a deep breath and saw Callie look down. The mention of their friend didn't come up very often, and even though it had almost been a year, they still missed him. Izzie continued, "there's Molly and her husband Shawn and their little girl Laura."

Miranda had no idea who these people were, or at least she didn't think she knew them.

"Molly is the third Grey sister. Shawn is helping with food." Izzie noticed Bailey was confused so she thought it would be best to explain it. Miranda nodded, remembering when Laura was born and Meredith got to know her father better and her step-mother.

"So if Thatcher isn't coming, is someone going to walk Meredith down the aisle?"

The three other women nodded and smiled.

"Richard will be doing the honors. Lately he's been more of a father to her then she's ever had and according to Jackson he got teary eyed when he asked him."

Miranda was glad they had asked him. She knew that Meredith would appreciate it, especially after hearing her talking about how he would basically be her baby's grandfather.

"That's a great idea."

-

Jackson headed back to the locker room for something to snack on. The food at the cafeteria had turned him off, so he started bringing his own food. He would usually grab something from his locker and head down to sit with whoever would let him sit with them. When he had started at Seattle Grace, he didn't have very many friends. The Mercy Wester's didn't like him because he had been the new guy there, the one who knew everything. He had graduated first in his class and that, his grandfather didn't have anything to do with. When he got to Mercy West, he was a few years younger than most of the residents there. He had done his internship in England because none of the hospitals in the States would accept him because of his age. He had skipped two grades in elementary school and started college when he was sixteen. He had been mature for his age even if he was being presented with things that were meant for older people. During his sex-ed classes in the seventh grade, when all of his classmates snickered during the whole presentation, he listened and took notes, even though he was only ten. He laughed at the memory.

But now he didn't have to worry about the Mercy Wester's. They were the uncool people here anyway. He was in with a crew who liked him for who he was, the original Seattle Grace crew. He really enjoyed spending time with all of them, and they were all very friendly people, even if some of them didn't come off as the type at first, like Cristina and Alex. But they were actually really nice people. And Lexie and Izzie were people who could brighten your day no matter your mood. Same as Callie and Arizona. There was Mark, who tried to make himself look tough, but he knew that he was a sweet guy or else he wouldn't be going through all of this for his friends. He would have laughed at the idea, not helped with it. He even liked Addison, whom he had just met the night before. He knew of her, and her past experiences at Seattle Grace, but she really didn't fit everyone's descriptions. But he had a feeling that everyone else wasn't used to that Addison either.

And then there was Meredith and Derek. Meredith had been so kind to him since he had started at Seattle Grace and he knew that she was a loyal friend. They were less than two years of difference and he felt as if they had known each other their entire life. The way she had gratefully let him stay at her place, along with everyone else, was something that reminded him of his mom. Although he hadn't known it until just a few days ago, it was proof enough to him that his mother was someone who pulled people under her wing, otherwise she wouldn't have adopted him along with his sister. They were both adopted, and though his sister had found out a few years earlier that she had been adopted, he was really close with her. She was four years older than he was and was married to a very nice guy. He knew that someday he would find someone too, but he felt as if his sister deserved it more than he did. Just as Meredith deserved Derek. They were perfect for each other and he was thankful for the both of them.

When Jackson reached his locker, he spotted a letter sitting on top of everything else. It had the address of the hospital he was born at written on the front.

_My birth certificate,_ he thought. _The moment of truth._

He ripped the envelope open and pulled out a single sheet. Most of the things written in black on white in front of him were things he already knew. His place of birth, his birthday, his full name. But his breath hitched when he saw the name of his birth mom. A name he recognized in a heartbeat.

-

Derek had been waiting for this moment all morning. It was getting close to noon and Mark had just gotten out of a surgery. Derek would know that, since he had watched from the gallery, waiting patiently for it to be over. He needed to tell someone. Meredith was the one to tell Richard, well, with Addie's help, and Miranda and Addie had known without anyone having to tell them, so Derek had kept his mouth shut about it because he wasn't supposed to tell anyone. Except for Mark. And now was his chance. Finally.

He saw Mark nearing his office with a concerned look on his face. Derek decided it would be best and less stressful on Mark if he was sitting on the couch, giving it a less professional look. When Mark saw him through the window sitting on the couch instead of behind his desk, Derek could tell he was relieved. He had probably thought it had something to do with work, but seeing him casual washed away his fear. He knew that this had nothing to do with work.

When he walked in, Derek lit up. Just a few more minutes and he could tell Mark. But he wanted to make it casual. He didn't want to just blurt it out like he felt he was about to do.

"Mark! Sit down!" He pointed to the spot next to him. Mark was hesitant, but finally let himself fall onto the old couch.

"So, what did you want?" Mark asked, a cautious look on his face.

"Can't a guy just talk to his best friend without being questioned? I've barely seen you lately."

Mark knew why. He hadn't seen Derek much in the last few days because he was spending most of his free time organizing the surprise wedding his best friend wasn't allowed to know about.

"Yeah, things are just getting better with Lexie. We're still working on our relationship, so we've been together a lot."

Derek nodded.

"It's good to see you guys back together. How is it between you guys." Derek paused to laugh a little. "Still on a sex-ban?"

"Shut up. And yes, I am. But it's worth it because we've made progress with our relationship. She's talking about marriage and building a house."

"That's really good. Meredith and I are planning our house too," he said with a smile. This was a perfect way to lead up to the big news.

"I heard you brought her to your land the other day and built your own version of the 'house of candles.'"

"Yeah. It was to return the favor."

It was quiet for a few seconds before Mark got all excited again.

"And she's talking about even starting a family Derek. A family. I could finally be a father, the right way this time."

This was the perfect time to bring it up. It couldn't have been better set up then this.

"I'm going to be a father in less than eight months. Maybe you could practice then."

Mark's expression changed and he looked straight into Derek's eyes.

"Meredith is pregnant?!" He couldn't believe it.

Derek smiled and nodded his head.

"Looks like your one step ahead of me like always," Mark added as he got up to bring Derek into a tight embrace. "Congrats man." He patted him on the back before sitting back on the couch.

"It feels so unreal," Derek said, glad he finally had someone other than Meredith to talk about it with. It's not that he didn't want to talk about it with Meredith. He did, but he always worried about what he would say wrong and get her upset, especially with the pregnant hormones. He knew he shouldn't have to worry about that, but he didn't want to make her cry more than she already was doing without his help. He didn't know how a baby could change her so much. She never used to show her emotions and now she cried every time somebody said something touching, sad or even happy. Women confused him.

"How long have you known?" Mark asked.

"Since yesterday afternoon. And I didn't find out by her telling me like a normal couple. If it hadn't been for Owen calling Addie to come out here, I would have found out like any other father."

Mark wasn't following. He didn't understand. But he knew whatever it had been had brought Addison closer to the couple.

"I dragged Addie away from a patient to ask her what the hell she was doing here only to find out later that her patient had been Meredith."

"Wait," Mark stopped Derek. "Addie is Meredith's OBG?"

"Yup. Meredith didn't know until she was lying on the exam table and Addie only realized when she walked into the room. It had been a coincidence, nothing more. And then Bailey, who already knew about it, came in. So they both know and so does Richard."

"That's only three people other than me. How did you keep it secret?"

"We're trying our best, so you better not tell a soul," Derek warned.

"I promise, your secret is safe with me."

"Good, I knew I could trust you." Now that Derek had told Mark his good news, he needed to discuss something with him that could maybe be a little more difficult to discuss. He needed to tell someone about his morning and needed to find a way to solve these problems. Mark caught on to the sudden mood change.

"Having doubts?" he asked, really believing Derek was still thinking about the baby.

"No, this has nothing to do with me and fatherhood. Not yet anyway. It's Rose."

Mark's eyes widened at the mention of the name.

"What about her?"

"Richard told me she's been trying to come up with ways to ruin my relationship with Meredith. I know she won't be able to, but I'm afraid she'll hurt Meredith. I need help."

Mark thought about it then suggested.

"Get a restraining order. It always works on TV."

Derek chuckled at the idea, but went back to being serious.

"I don't want her near Meredith, especially if she finds out about the baby. Can you imagine the ways she could break Meredith? My Meredith is finally becoming bright and shiny and I don't want her going back to her dark and twisty ways. I have a feeling that will be Rose's intention's."

"Screw Rose," he replied, then regretted his word choice. "Okay, not like that. I meant forget about her. Nothing can burst the happy bubble you're in right now."

Derek's smile came back.

"I'm going to be a father," he said proudly,

"You're going to be a father," Mark echoed.

-

Meredith had followed the doctor's/chief's/husband's orders and had gone into in on-call room to relax. Though she didn't think she'd fall asleep. She woke with her hands on her belly and the sound of the door opening, the light getting stronger in the room. The door closed behind the figure and she knew it wasn't Derek. She would have recognized his figure. But it was definitely a guy.

"Whoever you are, remember the chief is my husband and can fire you in a heartbeat."

She heard a slight chuckle as the figure sat down beside her on the bed and turned on the light on the night stand.

"Sorry if I woke you. And I come in peace."

She recognized Jackson when the light had come on.

"You scared me! I didn't know who you were."

"I'm sorry. I just really needed to talk to you."

Meredith sighed.

"What did they do this time?" she asked, sitting up against the backboard of the bed.

Jackson was confused. "What did who do?"

Meredith laughed. "And I thought I didn't make any sense. You mean to tell me you're not here to complain about one of the roommates?"

Jackson shook his head. In fact, he was getting along much better with his roommates then he had expected, but for reasons Meredith wouldn't understand.

"No, they're actually pretty nice. I wanted to show you something." He pulled a piece of paper out of an envelope and passed it to Meredith.

"What is this?" she asked before reading it.

"My birth certificate."

Jackson had told Meredith that he was going to find out who his birth mother was but what she didn't understand why he was showing her. Then all of a sudden she stopped breathing as she read the same line what seemed like a thousand times.

_Birth mother: Ellis Grey_

**So I know this is a cliff hanger, but I needed to put one in. I love cliff hangers, as long as I'm not the one who has to suffer because of it :P . I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. Keep reading, keep reviewing and enjoy!**

**P.S. I screwed up the wedding date in the third chapter. It's actually going to be the 27****th**** not the 28****th****. The Shepherd's (which I've been spelling wrong all this time and nobody told me!) will be arriving at night on the 26****th**** and Meredith and Derek were planning on leaving on the 27****th****, which will no longer be happening because of the wedding. Anyway, sorry for the mistakes!**


	8. A Big Mistake

It was nearing one o'clock when Callie and Miranda had left to go out on their own. Callie had come with Cristina, so she went with Miranda and left the two "friends" alone. She knew it had been a while since they had really gotten a chance to talk, but she wanted Cristina to talk to someone about what was going on in her life. Lately, she hadn't seen much of Meredith, and in her free time, Cristina had been mostly focusing on the wedding, so the two best friends probably hadn't had much time to talk lately. But Cristina needed to talk.

"I know we're not really the greatest of friends…" Izzie started a few minutes after Callie and Dr Bailey had left.

"Izzie, I never said we weren't friends. Meredith is my person, but you were still there when I needed someone to talk to." Cristina smiled, actually smiled.

Izzie smiled back, touched by the sudden change in this person she had known for so long as the cold, mean, heartless woman.

"You know, I'm back now if you have something to talk about." Izzie wanted to find out about what she had missed at Seattle Grace, but also what she had missed in her friends' lives.

"Well, I have a date tonight…" Cristina couldn't believe she was telling Izzie these things before she told Meredith. But Meredith had been MIA for a few days now and she needed to tell someone.

Izzie's face lightened up at the mention of the word date.

"But didn't you and Owen just break up?"

"Yeah, but I had known things wouldn't last much longer for a while now. I had the chance to prepare myself." Cristina shook it off as if it were nothing.

"Oh, okay then. So who's this date with? Anyone I know?" Izzie had always been the curious type.

"Well I'm not sure if it's really a date. More a 'get to know each other before we make it serious" kind of thing.' And yes, it's someone you know."

Izzie thought about it, but came up short. It had been a while since she had been around with the Seattle crew, but as she thought about it, there weren't many others then the ones that she had been spending these last few days with anyways. Then it hit her.

"You have a date with Jackson!"

"Shh, the world doesn't need to know." Cristina hissed as the few people in the small café looked over.

"Sorry. So am I right?"

Cristina sighed.

"Yeah, you guessed it right."

Izzie clapped her hands together in delight.

"He seems to be fairly nice. I've been having a great time getting to know him these past few days. And it's fun to bring out the old stories."

"Yeah, especially the Meredith ones. Our stories don't seem to be as interesting."

Izzie thought about it, than she smiled.

"How about the "fight" with Callie? That could beat a few of Mer's."

Cristina laughed at the memory.

"You two seem to be getting along better though," Cristina commented.

Izzie nodded as she took a sip of her juice.

"Yeah, but I think this wedding has brought a lot of people together. This week alone has done things nobody had ever expected."

Cristina raised her eyebrows as if to show she didn't understand.

"When Addison showed up last night, I didn't think it would be such a good idea to let her get involved in planning a wedding for her ex-husband, but she seems to really be over it. I wonder what has gotten in to her…" Izzie trailed off.

"I don't know," Cristina said, "but whatever it is, it's starting to scare me. Something smells fishy."

"Maybe it's just what it is. Maybe she has seen that she and Derek were meant to be friends and that Meredith was really what Derek needed."

"No, there's definitely something else. I know it."

-

Meredith still couldn't believe it. But it was written, there in front of her own eyes.

_Jackson was her half-brother._

How could this be? How could she have not known?

She suddenly remembered being alone with her father for several months when she was just a toddler. She doesn't remember much of the younger days, but some things came back. It had been near Easter time and her mom needed to leave for business purposes. Meredith, only being two years old didn't realize much then, other than it had been quite a long time before she had seen her mom again. All she remembered was that she came back when Meredith and Thatcher had been camping. And they only camped once a year.

Meredith looked back at the birth certificate.

_Date of birth – September 3__rd_

Just around the same time as Labor Day weekend. The only time she ever camped.

"I … I don't know … don't know what to say."

"I just needed you to know. And I thought maybe you might know who my dad was. Because obviously, we don't have that in common."

Meredith didn't even need to think about that. Of course she knew who his father was. It would have been obvious to anyone who had known her mother in the past twenty some years.

"Richard."

Jackson's mouth dropped.

"As in, Richard Webber?"

Meredith nodded.

"Wow. Oh wow."

They sat there in silence for several seconds before Jackson spoke up.

"It looks like I not only discovered my birth mom, but a new sister."

Meredith smiled. Out of all the Seattle Grace crew, she couldn't complain with the ones who ended up her siblings. Yes, she hadn't been too fond of the idea when she had found out Lexie was her sister, but now that they had gotten to know each other, they had found a friendship they never thought they would be able to find. And Jackson seemed like such a sweet guy, that she couldn't complain with what she got. Besides, this would give her the chance to get to know him.

-

Mark had managed to sneak up behind Lexie without her hearing him. She was standing alone in a fairly secluded area of the hospital, focused on the chart open in front of her. There was nobody around, which Mark had been grateful for.

When he reached her, he grabbed her by the waist and spun her around. She playfully let out a small scream before hitting him with her chart. He put her on the ground only to spin her around and kiss her deeply, a kiss that left them both breathless when he released.

"What was that for?" she asked when she saw the shimmer in his eyes.

"Can't a guy show his love towards his beautiful girlfriend?"

She blushed as Mark put his hands around her waist and pulled her in tight.

"What are you up to tonight?" he asked, smiling brightly.

"Nothing. Why do you ask?"

Lexie was sure that he was going to suggest something like maybe heading to his place for some sex. But what came out of his mouth shocked him.

"Well, I made reservations at this sweet little French bistro downtown and I checked the movie schedule and there's a romantic comedy playing around nine thirtyish. Wondering if you'd like to join me."

Lexie nodded and put her arms around his neck and kissed him quickly.

Mark grabbed her hand and headed down the hall towards the more civilized region of the hospital.

"I met your sister last night."

Lexie was confused.

"Mark, my sister is married to your best friend and you've been working with her for years now."

Mark laughed.

"No your other sister. Molly."

Lexie stopped in her tracks.

"How did you manage that?"

"She was filling in for her best friend at the wedding boutique that I rented the tuxes at. I was trying to explain to her why I was renting two tuxes alone, and when I mentioned the post-it wedding, she knew exactly who I was."

Lexie laughed at the mention of the post-it wedding. She had told her sister about their half-sister's idea of a wedding and her being overtired at the time had laughed about it for a good fifteen minutes.

"Yeah and then she came over to the apartment-"

Lexie cut him off.

"Mark, what did you do to her?"

Mark shook his head.

"You don't even trust me! I expected that from Addison, but not from you."

"Addison?"

Mark took a breath before explaining both situations.

"Addie's coming back to Seattle now that she knows that she won't get in the way of Derek and Meredith's relationship and she's actually on good terms with both of them, if not becoming very close friends with Meredith. She and Molly had been over last night to help organize."

Lexie's expression was one of shock. But her expression of shock was suddenly replaced by an expression of fear as she heard a voice behind her.

"Organize what?"

She turned around and came face to face with her brother-in-law.

"Um, a birthday party for Laura, Molly's daughter." She was hoping Derek only caught on to the last few words, and not the complete conversation or else he would have known she was bluffing.

"Oh, I thought I heard you guys talking about Meredith and Addison."

"No, I said Alison, one of Molly's close friends. And we were going to ask Meredith if she wanted to help." Mark didn't know what else to say. He was terrible at lying.

"Oh, okay then. Have fun." And he walked away, whistling.

"That was close," Lexie sighed in relief when Derek was out of earshot.

"Too close."

-

Callie and Miranda headed over to Callie's apartment, and Callie decided she'd show Bailey just how much they had gotten done so far for the wedding. The advantage of living in the same apartment building as several of your friends and coworkers is that you know where they hide their keys. Mark's was in the plant near his door.

She unlocked the door and Bailey didn't know what to expect when those lights came on. But when they did, Bailey didn't know what to say about the mess in the apartment.

"Mark's usually pretty good for keeping his place clean, and I've got to say, the place was pretty neat when we came last night, but by the time we left, there was no way it would ever be the same until after the wedding."

Miranda noticed in the living room several phonebooks, notepads, calendars, information sheets, loose leaf paper, pens and pencils scattered all around the carpet. In the open closet next to the door way, the white dress caught her eye and she noticed the other dresses along with the tuxes hanging neatly beside them. The kitchen table was covered in baking ingredients, ready to be used when it got closer to the date of the wedding. There were empty liquor bottles in the sink and several platters probably containing snacks the night before pilled on the cupboard.

"Wow, I've got to say, I'm impressed."

Just then, the phone started to ring.

Callie and Miranda looked at each other before Callie decided to answer.

"Sloan residence, how may I help you?"

There was a laugh at the other end of the phone.

"Does he lock his girlfriends up in his apartment when he's not home?" he heard the voice ask someone on the other end. Another voice started to laughing.

"May I ask who this is?"

"Oh right, I'm sorry. I'm Natalie. Derek and Mark's sister."

"Oh okay then. Well in that case, I'm one of Mark's best friends who lives across the hall and knows how to break into his apartment."

"Let me guess. He's got an extra key hidden in the plant?"

"Wow you're good."

"Who is it?" Miranda asked.

"Derek's sister." Callie answered.

"Correction. Derek's favorite sister"

Callie laughed as she heard the other voice deny that statement.

"Fine favorite sisters." Natalie corrected. "Anyway, we heard this was the wedding planning headquarters?"

Callie laughed as she thought about how real that statement was.

"Yes, I guess so."

"Well I was calling to ask if there was anything we could do to help. Amy and I want to help in any way possible, and although Nancy doesn't seem as enthusiastic about helping, we know she wants to deep down. And Kathleen too."

Callie thought about what was on their list and inquired.

"Are you guys any good with hair and makeup?"

She heard the two girls laugh at the other end of the line.

"Any good? We could be professionals. When you have three sisters, you get a lot of practice."

"Awesome! Well, if you guys would like, you could be in charge of hair and makeup for the bride and her bride's maids. And the flower girls of course."

"Great! I'll let the others know."

"You guys might have an extra hand too. Addison sounded interested in helping."

There was a pause. Callie didn't know if she had made a mistake mentioning their brother's ex-wife.

"Addie's going to be there?" Natalie asked.

"Yeah, she's actually helping with the organizing."

"So she and Derek are on good terms?"

"From the sounds of it, they haven't been better in years."

Miranda smiled as it was brought up.

"Good. I can't wait to see her! It was nice talking to you."

"You too. See you at the wedding."

Callie hung up with her best friend's sisters. She could see herself getting along with these two Shepherd's. She didn't need to worry about them. It was the other two that she was worried about.

"Do you think Nancy will give Meredith a hard time again?" Callie asked Miranda.

"She better not, or else, she'll have to deal with me. Nobody is going to ruin Meredith and Derek. Nobody."

-

Meredith was still laying in the on-call room with her new found half-brother.

"I always wanted a little brother when I was little," she said, as she stretched her legs out over his. He was sitting on the same bed as her, his back against the wall, as she was sitting her back against the headrest. She had been holding her knees against her chest, but put them over Jackson's legs because they had been cramping up.

"I had an older sister, but I would have liked to have gotten to know my real sister."

"After all the things I've learnt about my family since I've arrived at Seattle Grace, I thought it would be over by now. No more surprises."

"Looks like they'll just never stop coming."

They laughed.

"Meredith, I hope you don't mind me asking, but you don't happen to be … pregnant?"

Meredith's smile disappeared. When Jackson noticed, he felt bad for his sudden forwardness.

"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions. It's not that you're showing or anything even if you're not pregnant, you're beautiful, and it's just that –"

Meredith cut him off.

"We must be related. I think you ramble more than me, if that were possible."

Jackson stopped and waited for Meredith to speak again.

"And yes, I am." She set her hands on her stomach, not having to hide it from her brother who had found out on his own. But she was curious. "How did you know?"

"I ran into Dr Bailey yesterday and she had a bag with a prescription written on it. I knew they were pre-natal vitamins by the bag and I just happened to notice Grey written on the back of the bag. I'm not usually nosy, but Dr Bailey seemed to be trying to hide it so it drew my attention even more."

Meredith giggled.

"She's been over protective ever since she found out. She won't leave me alone. She wants the best for what she considers her hospital grandkid."

Jackson looked at her confused.

"We have what we call a hospital family. And since Miranda and Richard have been considered the hospital husband and wife, well I end up their kid, since Richard is basically my father and Miranda was my resident. So my baby ends up their grandchild. At least in the hospital."

"Okay, so how would I fit in all this, being Richards actual son?" Jackson asked.

"Well first of all, he would have to know that he's your father. Then you'd end up Miranda's hospital son and my hospital brother along with being my actual brother. Which would make you an uncle."

"Hey! I'm going to be an actual uncle!" He smiled as he tickled Meredith's belly.

"Hey there little guy." He said as he continued to tickle her and she laughed while trying to get him to stop.

Neither one of them realized that someone had been watching.

-

Mark felt his phone vibrate in the pocket of his scrubs. He checked the caller ID noting it was an unknown name, but it was long distance. He opened the door to one of the supply closets knowing he would have a difficult time to understand the caller due to the distance let alone having to hear over the sounds of the noisy hospital.

He closed the door and flipped open his phone.

"Hello?"

"Markie!" a familiar voice exclaimed.

"Kath?" He recognized all of the Shepherd sister's voices but it had been so long that he needed to make sure.

"Of course, silly! What, do you not recognize me anymore?"

"Just making sure. I didn't think I'd be hearing from you until the end of the month."

"Mark, you're organizing a surprise wedding for my baby brother. Of course you should have expected a call from me."

Mark thought about it, and decided it was a reasonable response.

"So what's up?" he asked, knowing that this wasn't about the wedding.

"I heard Addie's back in Seattle."

"Yeah – " Mark was cut off.

"She's off limits Mark. You've already caused enough problems in that girls life."

"Don't worry. I'm in a serious relationship with someone I love more than you can imagine and there is no chance I leave her for anybody in the world."

"Oh really? And when will we get to meet this girl?" she asked.

"When you come down to the wedding. She's Meredith's sister."

"Name?"

"Lexie Grey. By the way, how'd you know Addie was back?"

"Natalie told me."

Mark nodded to himself, and then was confused once again.

"How'd Nat know?"

"She said she called your apartment and your friend Callie answered. You really have to find a new place to hide your key." Kathleen laughed.

"I like it just where it is. And my apartment is being used as the wedding organizing headquarters, so some people need to know how to get in."

"Sure… so Addie's helping with the wedding, huh? That must be weird."

Mark thought about it, then replied.

"Honestly, I don't think it is. She's gotten much closer to Derek and Meredith and knows that he's happier with her. She's realized that she and Derek were never meant to be more then friends."

"Still, it's kind of weird."

"Yeah, kind of I guess."

"Well, I gotta let you go, but I'll see you in two weeks."

"See you then."

Mark exited the closest only to be spotted by Lexie.

"Mark Sloan! I thought you had changed!" She was on the edge of tears.

"Lexie, babe, what are you talking about?"

"Who were you in there with?"

Mark thought about what she was saying, and then it clicked. Lexie thought he was sleeping with girls in supply closets. So he answered her question honestly without hesitation.

"Kathleen."

Lexie was taken aback by how honest he had been. She couldn't believe Mark would do something like that and not even try to hide it. She was about to hit him in the gut when he pulled out his phone.

"Derek's sister. She called long distance and I couldn't hear her over all this noise." Lexie's face dropped at Mark's explanation. "Check yourself. There's no one in there and Kathleen called ten minutes ago." He put his phone out in front of him as if to hand it to her to prove he wasn't lying. But she ignored it. Instead, she wrapped her hands around his neck. He placed his arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry I blamed you for that. I just thought that since I wasn't giving you anything, you would go looking for it in other women."

Mark kissed her lightly on the lips and when he pulled back, he smiled and said:

"I'd wait a lifetime for you."

-

Derek had been searching for Meredith throughout the hospital. He knew he had sent her to rest earlier that morning, but it was nearing two thirty so he had thought for sure that she would have been back on the go. But he was surprised to note that her name was nowhere to be found on the surgical board. He decided she must have fallen asleep and that she was still sleeping.

He didn't want to page her, afraid he'd wake her up, so he started his search for his missing wife. He checked a couple of on-call rooms before he ran into Richard who seemed to be looking for someone too.

"Have you seen Meredith?" Derek asked as he approached the older man.

"No actually, I haven't. But if you find her, could you let her know I want to talk to her."

Derek was curious to know what he would want to talk about with Meredith, but he didn't ask. Richard noticed his curiosity, so he explained.

"I want to tell her about some of the things her mother went through when she was pregnant with her. I was just thinking that she might end up going through some of the same things. And I also just want to make sure she's doing alright."

"I'll let her know you want to see her," he said. "If I can find her," he added in a whisper as Richard headed off.

Derek reached another on-call room and opened the door as quietly as possible. He noticed the lighting in the room was very low, which meant the bedside lamp was on. But he didn't expect the scene in front of him.

There was his Meredith with another guy. Her legs were draped over his and she was laughing as the young resident tickled her.

"Hey there little guy," he had spoken to her stomach while he continued to tickle her.

"What the hell is going on here?" he asked as he walked in the room and shut the door behind him. Meredith and Jackson stopped instantly and Meredith pulled her legs off of his.

"Dr Shepherd – "Jackson started to say as he got up off the bed, but Derek cut him off.

"You, don't say anything. I want an explanation. What the hell are you doing with my wife?"

Jackson was too shocked to respond, so he turned towards Meredith who was still sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Meredith, how could you? I thought you loved me, I thought you wanted me? Is this why you've been holding back lately? Are you just following in your mothers footsteps, sleeping with another resident?"

"Derek…" Meredith sobbed. But Derek wasn't done.

"We're starting a family Meredith! We're happy! What are you doing with him? You're carrying my baby!" Then he felt his heart sink. "Oh my gosh… is it even my baby? How long have you guys been together? I demand to know!"

Meredith was in full fledged tears now. She had wrapped herself in the fetal position and Derek was to shocked to care. He couldn't believe what he had just seen, let alone what had come out of his mouth. He was an idiot. She wouldn't have been so happy when she found out she was pregnant if it hadn't been his baby. But he still needed to know what was going on.

Jackson was too stunned to say anything, so he just stood there. Derek was crumbling, but not as much as Meredith felt herself crumble. She got up, not able to handle Derek's piercing eyes on her and she ran out of the room, shutting the door behind her as she left.

Jackson couldn't handle seeing Meredith hurt like this, especially by the person who was supposed to love her the most. He had been an idiot to jump to conclusions like that and he wanted to tell him off so much, it was crazy. But he decided he'd contain his anger as much as possible.

"How could you say things like that? She's your wife! Don't you trust her? You're supposed to help her in these times of weakness, not send her off crying!"

"What?" Derek was confused by this young man's words.

"You want to know the truth? Well maybe you don't deserve it."

Derek's eyes went back to the raging one's from before.

"I'm the chief! I could have you fired for whatever you did."

"What? You're going to fire me for having spent the last two hours sitting here _talking _to your wife? Your wife, whom I just found out is my _sister_! Good luck getting that one across the board. Especially considering Dr Webber still has a say in who gets fired since he's still part of the board, and since Ellis Grey is my mom, you don't even need to ask who my father is. Think about that next time you accuse your pregnant wife of something like that! You probably hurt her in the last five minutes as badly as her mother hurt her a twenty years! And don't blame anybody but yourself for her new trust issues. You'd be lucky if she ever trusts you again. Honestly, I hope she doesn't."

Jackson, proud of his standing up to his boss, and brother-in-law, followed Meredith's example, but made sure he slammed the door on his way out.

Derek just stood there In shock.

**Okay, so I finished writing this chapter late at night so there are probably parts that only make sense in my head. But to all you MerDer fans, things will get better over time. I would never do anything to break them up.**

**Keep reading and reviewing! **

**ENJOY!**


	9. Broken hearts

Jackson spotted Meredith from a distance, heading who knows where. He had caught up and grabbed her by the wrist. He spun her around in a quick movement so she was forced to look at him.

"Meredith, are you okay?"he asked as he saw the tears stream down her face.

Meredith just shook her head in response.

"Come here, it's okay." He grabbed her and pulled her into a tight hug. It felt weird considering he had never expected to become this close to the person who had been so giving to him, but in these circumstances, she needed someone there to comfort her. And he was the only one who knew why, so he thought it would be a good idea

But the many stares told him that maybe it wasn't.

"What's going on? Meredith are you okay?" Richard had approached to investigate the situation. Him being the fatherly type, he was used to taking Meredith under her wing.

"No," she whimpered slightly.

Richard looked at Jackson and he was sure that he was going to yell at him and blame him for this, the same way Derek had done just minutes ago.

"Help me get her to my office," he instructed as he wrapped an arm around Meredith's shoulder.

"Yes, of course."

Luckily, Richard's office was only down the hall, and they didn't have to go through very more staring eyes to get there. Jackson opened the door and Richard laid Meredith on the small couch in the corner before turning around and shutting the blinds on the small window.

"Meredith, what is going on?"

Meredith sobbed a little while trying to answer.

"Derek…mad…Jackson…baby…affair…"

Richard was having a hard time understanding, but didn't expect the last word she had mumbled.

"Is Derek having an affair?" Richard basically yelled. "Because if he is, I swear I will kill him!"

Meredith just shook her head and sniffed before attempting to explain again.

"Derek thinks… thinks that I'm having an affair…"

"With who?"

Meredith pointed towards Jackson who had stayed quiet the entire time.

"Thought," Jackson corrected. "I had to tell him the truth."

Richard watched as Jackson consoled Meredith. What was with these two?

"So what exactly got Derek to thinking you were having an affair?" Richard needed answers before he killed his little girl's husband.

"He found us sitting in bed in the on-call room," Meredith answered. "Jackson had just found out he was going to be an uncle." Meredith placed her hands on her stomach.

Richard thought he had heard wrong. But then he decided that the Seattle crew was used to thinking of each other as family, that she was probably referring to him being her little one's uncle as she would with Yang or Stevens. But he was wrong.

Jackson thought it would be best to clear things up.

"Remember my hunt for my birth certificate? Well I got it today."

Richard was completely lost.

"My birth mother is Ellis Grey, which makes Meredith my half-sister."

Richard stopped breathing.

"No, it can't be… that would make me…"

"My dad."

Next thing they knew, Richard was on the ground, coding.

-

Derek was still in the exact same on-call room he had been in when he had accused his wife of cheating on him. The exact same on-call room he found out about his new brother-in-law. The same on-call room he found out his mentor had a son he never knew about. He was remembering a conversation he had had with Richard before he had come out to Seattle.

"_You and Adele planning on having children?" he asked after the bar tender had passed them their drinks. Richard had ordered a club soda, but Derek hadn't known why back then._

"_Adele and I have been trying for years, but it just seems that it's not meant to be."_

"_That's too bad. You would have made an amazing father."_

_Richard smiled._

"_I've had some practice already. A friend of mine, back when we were residents, had a daughter. I used to watch her when my friend and her husband were busy, especially when they argued. I couldn't stand the look on her face when she witnessed her parents fighting. It used to break my heart."_

"_She must have been one lucky girl to have someone like you watch over her." Derek nodded as he realized just how true his words had been._

"_So how about you and Addie?" Richard asked in return._

"_Addie doesn't want kids."_

"_Oh," was all Richard could say._

"_I really wanted to be a father. I just never thought about it before we got married. But it really bugs me. I ask myself sometimes if I can handle not being a father. It was all I wanted for such a long time after my father passed away. I just wish I knew if this is the right thing to do. To give up what I want most for the person I love."_

_Richard thought about it before he answered._

"_Do you love Addie enough to change your dreams so you can suit hers?"_

"_I don't know."_

And now, he was finally getting what he had wanted most in his life, having the person he loves carry his child, and he ruined it. He couldn't forgive himself for what he had done, no matter what. Even if Meredith did take him back, which he was afraid she wouldn't, he'd never be able to look at himself in the mirror without thinking about how he had hurt the person he loved most in the world.

Tears ran down his face as he made his way to the bed, and sat down only to have himself completely crack. He hadn't cried like this since he had saved Meredith from drowning, almost two years ago. Not even the knock at the door stopped him from his downpour of sorrow.

"Derek?" he heard his best friend ask as the sound of the door closing behind him ran through the room.

"Mark, I've made a terrible mistake."

Mark sat down beside him and noticed his tear filled eyes.

"What happened? I just saw Meredith in the hallway. Is it the baby?"

Derek shook his head.

"Derek, you need to tell me. You need to talk to someone."

"I accused her of sleeping with Jackson."

Mark couldn't believe his ears. He got up from the bed in rage.

"Derek! How could you? You know Meredith loves you more than imaginable! She's been bright and shiny since she's been with you! Do you want her to go back to being dark and twisty?"

Derek's tears doubled as his best friend accused him of turning Meredith back to how she had been before. He loved her no matter what, but he couldn't handle knowing he was the one who converted her back to her old ways.

"Derek, I think you really blew it this time. And that's something coming from my mouth."

He turned around and headed out the door before going to search for the girl Derek wished was safe in his arms.

-

Mark didn't even know where to start looking. The hospital was huge and for all he knew she could have already left.

It was the sudden rush of a code team heading down towards the attending offices that caught his eye. _Shouldn't they be rushing to a patient's room?_

He followed the code team and his heart started to race as he saw them open the door to Richard's office. He ran in, in time to see the paddles shock the man who taught him so much in these past few years of being at Seattle Grace. On the couch, he saw Meredith sitting, her hands on her face, while Jackson was comforting her, his own eyes welling with tears.

_What the hell? _he thought as he saw the two people so much closer then they had been just two nights before. He was completely taken back by everything happening in front of him, he hadn't even noticed that the code team and a few other doctors had put Richard on a gurney and had placed an oxygen mask over his mouth.

"Is he going to be okay?" he asked one of the doctors, whose name had slipped his mind.

"He had a heart attack, but he should be fine."

They wheeled him out which left Mark alone with Meredith and Jackson.

"What is going on in this hospital?" he asked as he closed the door.

"I … I just gave Richard a … a heart attack," Jackson stuttered. "I found out … found out he was my …my father, and I told him but … but the shock was too much."

Mark gasped. Jackson was Richard's son? But Adele hadn't had any children. Unless…

"That's what's brought you and Meredith together. You're Ellis's son, aren't you."

Jackson nodded.

"I found out this morning. I was adopted at birth, and I just received my birth certificate today. Who knew it would cause so much trouble."

Mark heard Meredith whimper as Jackson finished his explanation.

"So is that why Derek is in there bawling like a baby? He accused you of sleeping with his wife when really, you had just found out about your being siblings?"

Meredith nodded and added.

"I…I can't talk … talk to him … He … he…" and then she dropped her head between her legs as a fresh batch of tears came over her.

Mark walked over to the couch and dragged her up into his arms. She snuggled into his arms as a little girl would in her fathers.

"Shh, it's okay. Everything will be okay."

And with that, Meredith fell asleep in his arms.

-

Lexie just happened to walk by Richard's office when something had caught her eye. She had to turn around to make sure what she saw was real.

She walked a few steps back and was shocked by the scene in front of her. Her sister was asleep in her boyfriend's arms. But this time, Lexie didn't jump to conclusions.

"What's wrong with Mer?" she asked, worried about her sister. She was much paler then usual and she could tell she had been doing a lot of crying, even if her eyes were closed.

"Shh, not so loud. You'll wake her."

Meredith shifted In Mark's arms before speaking up for herself.

"I'm awake," she said, her voice cracking.

"Meredith," Lexie rushed over to her side and knelt down beside her. She looked at Mark. "Does Derek know you're comforting _his_ wife?"

Mark grunted. "I don't give a crap about what Derek thinks right about now. He's the one who caused this mess."

"What did he do Mer? Did he hurt you?"

Just then, Jackson came back with a couple bottles of water and a box of Kleenex.

Lexie didn't understand why Jackson was here.

"He was being an ass hole," Jackson answered Lexie's question in a displeased voice.

Jackson explained the situation, not forgetting to mention the whole sibling thing, but leaving out the fact that Meredith was pregnant.

"Where is he? I swear, I will give him a piece of my mind."

"He's in the on-call room down the hall." Mark wasn't going to stop her. She had a right to protect her sister and if she wanted to give Derek what he deserved then she might as well.

"Lexie," Meredith called before she left the room. Lexie turned around. "Just don't make him run for the hills. I need him. Our baby needs him."

Lexie's eyes grew two sizes bigger and she looked down towards Meredith's stomach.

"Oh my…"

Just then, Meredith's and Jackson's pagers went off. Jackson looked down at his, already knowing what it was for.

"It's Richard."

Lexie looked back and forth between the three people sitting in front of her. Mark was the one to answer.

"He had a heart attack," Mark explained.

"That's terrible! I'm coming with you guys."

The four of them headed down the hall to the room they were called to. When they opened it, they weren't surprised to see that the only doctor there was Miranda.

"How is he?" Jackson asked, worried that he had caused this whole thing.

"He's fine. He just had a minor heart attack, nothing major. We will be keeping him in for a few days for surveillance, and he'll have to be off work for the rest of the week, but we can discuss his leave with the chief."

Meredith looked away. "Can I leave before you do that?" she asked quietly.

"Meredith, what's going on?" Miranda asked, worry stretched across her face.

"If I may, would I be able to drive her home?" Mark asked, a look in his eyes telling Miranda he'd explain later. "It's been a bad day, and I think she really just needs to get away from this place."

Miranda nodded her head.

"Of course." She looked down towards her stomach, which hadn't gotten the least bit bigger. "Does it have something to do with…"

Meredith shook her head.

"And they all know." Mark added, knowing what Miranda was getting to.

"Oh."

Mark led Meredith out of the room before Jackson had the chance to start explaining the situation again. Meredith had been through enough today. She needed to go home and relax. She needed to get things off her mind. If it were possible.

-

Miranda stood shocked after hearing the story. She couldn't believe that Derek, of all people would be the one to do something like that.

She had rushed into work after hearing about Richard. Luckily, Mark's apartment had only been across the street so it didn't take her long to get here and dress into her scrubs. But she hadn't come prepared for the entire story

"I am going to kill that man with my own bare hands!"

Miranda was about to barge out, but Richard's voice caught her off guard. She stopped and turned around to listen to what he was about to say.

"Derek means well. He's gone through an awful lot, and after what happened with Addison, he's got his insecurities when it comes to these things. Give him some time to think about what he did, then I give you full permission to kill him. After all, he hurt my little girl."

Miranda smiled at his last sentence. He had grown much closer to Meredith, especially in these last few days, and now he had an actual son. One he hadn't known about until today. Although his reaction hadn't been too positive when he found out, Miranda knew that he was more than overjoyed to find out about his being a father. She knew he'd try making up for lost time by spoiling him rotten. I mean, he planned a prom for his niece, the closest thing he had to his own child.

"Okay then, I'll wait." Miranda said with a smile.

"Me too," Lexie added.

There was a short silence before Lexie interrupted the silence with something none of them had thought about.

"What does this do about the wedding?"

The three others looked at each other before raising their shoulders.

-

Mark had thought about bringing Meredith to his apartment due to the fact that hers was filled with curious roommates. But then he remembered that his was filled with wedding plans. A wedding that probably wouldn't happen the way they had hoped it would, if at all.

So he just hoped that no one would be at Mer's house. Luckily, he got what he had wished for.

Meredith went straight to the couch when they walked in and she balled herself up in blankets. She found the remote and flicked the TV on. She then looked over to Mark who was still standing in the foyer.

"You want to come in?" she asked as she invited him to sit by her side.

"How will you explain this to your roommates when they come home?"

Meredith thought about it, and then answered.

"Well you're here waiting for Lexie, and I'm home because I have the flu." She looked at her stomach before looking back at Mark. "Cristina, Izzie and Alex don't know yet."

He nodded.

"I know. Derek told me you guys were trying to keep it on the down low."

Meredith smiled meekly. "I have a feeling that after everything that happened today, the whole hospital will suspect something."

Mark sat down beside her and pulled her into a hug.

"Don't forget, that no matter what, Lexie and I will always be there."

He couldn't believe how much closer he had gotten with Meredith. She felt like a little sister to him, so he wouldn't make the same mistake he had with Addie. Even if at this point, he didn't care if he hurt Derek, but he knew the couple would get over this. They always did.

"I know." Meredith smiled.

"And it looks like you have another sibling to protect you too."

Meredith laughed slightly. "I think he'll be an awesome brother."

Just then Marks phone started ringing. He checked his caller ID.

Addison.

"I need to take this," he said as he got up and moved into the kitchen. It was probably about the wedding, so he didn't want Meredith to hear anything, whether it was going to happen or not.

"Hey there Addie," he said as he answered the phone, trying to sound as enthusiastic as possible. Addie caught on.

"I was calling to tell you how excited Nat and Amy had been to find out I was going to the wedding, but it sounds like this isn't the best time to bring it up. What's going on?"

"I'm at Meredith's," he answered.

"Mark, didn't you learn anything the first time around! You're not allowed to sleep with your best friend's wives!"

"No it's nothing like that Addie! Derek hurt her, really bad."

"What?! Oh my gosh, how's the – " she stopped forgetting that Mark might not know about the baby.

"Not physically Addie. The baby's fine."

Addie let out a breath. "What did he do?"

Mark explained the entire story again. He knew it probably wouldn't be the last time either.

"How could he? Is he that much of an idiot?"

Mark chuckled. "Apparently."

Addie did something he hadn't expected. "Put Meredith on the phone."

"Yeah, sure, of course."

Mark went back to the living room and handed Meredith the phone. She gave him a puzzled look, but took the phone anyway.

"Hello?" she said hesitantly. She was afraid it was Derek.

"Meredith, I swear, I will kill that man for hurting you!"

Meredith didn't know how to respond.

"Addison?" she asked, still not sure.

"Right, sorry. Meredith, anything I can do, I'm here. Whether it's killing him or just talking some sense into him, I'll do whatever you need, whatever you want. I don't want him hurting you."

Meredith thought about it, but she knew she didn't want anyone to actually kill him. She knew that Miranda, although small, was very mighty and that she was probably beating on him right now. Verbally and physically.

"Talk to him, yeah, that sounds good."

"Meredith, call me if you need anything, anything at all. I'm here."

Meredith couldn't believe this. Addison out of all people was there for her. Mark being there shocked her. This threw her off balance.

"Okay, thank you."

With that, Addie hung up and started searching her phone for a number she hadn't called in a long time.

-

"Hello?" Derek answered his phone, his voice cracking. He hadn't stopped crying since Mark had left, over an hour ago. He still sat in the same place as earlier, and although they had slowed down, his tears were still coming down.

"What the hell Derek? Haven't you hurt her enough already? She doesn't deserve this. She never did and yet you don't see that everything you have done to hurt her leaves a mark. Are you blind?"

Derek knew that voice. He was being scolded by his ex-wife about hurting his current wife. The world had definitely been turned upside down.

He cried into the phone, and when he didn't answer, Addison continued.

"I just got off the phone with a broken Meredith. You broke her Derek, and you need to fix it."

Derek suddenly stopped crying.

"You were talking to Meredith?" he asked, wondering how she had found out so fast that she would have had time to talk to Meredith.

"Yeah, I called Mark and he's over at her place comforting her. When I found out what you did, I needed to talk to her. You should be the one comforting her when something goes wrong, not the one causing her pain. Your best friend is over there cleaning up your mess. Never thought it would end up like that, huh?"

"Meredith's at home?" he asked.

"Yeah."

"I need to talk to her. I need to go home, to see her, to apologize. I love her, more than even I realize. I can't lose her. I can't let her slip away like I let you slip away. I need to know that she's okay."

"Derek! She's obviously not okay!"

"I need to make things okay."

Derek hung up on Addie and got up from his spot. He opened the door to come face to face with a very angry looking Miranda followed by a crossed arm Lexie.

"You're not going anywhere," Miranda said as she blocked his way out.

-

After Richard had fallen asleep, Miranda and Lexie had decided it would be the perfect time to bombard Derek with questions and a piece of their minds. Jackson decided he'd stay at his father's bedside, not wanting to look at Derek ever again.

When they reached the on-call room Mark had told Lexie he had last seen Derek in, they stopped before entering. They heard Derek's pained voice talking to someone.

"…to see her, to apologize. I love her, more than even I realize. I can't lose her. I can't let her slip away like I let you slip away. I need to know that she's okay."

Derek was definitely on his phone, Miranda decided, because there was a short silence before they heard him say something again.

"I need to make things okay."

They heard him get up and they knew he was headed for the door. When Miranda saw the knob turn, she took a breath, preparing herself to scream and yell at him. But when she saw Derek come into view, her plans changed. She couldn't yell. And that was very rare that Miranda couldn't yell.

He was a mess. His usually perfect hair was strewn in every direction. His eyes were bloodshot red, and she could tell he had been crying, a lot. There were dark circles under his eyes and his frown lines were more visible than usual. There were tear stains all the way down his cheek and the collar of his shirt was soaked. He looked even more broken than Meredith had, but she knew no one could be as broken as Meredith right now. She was just used to hiding it.

"You're not going anywhere."

Derek backed up back in the room. Miranda thought she'd deal with Richard's leave before she dealt with Derek's mess, so she didn't enter the room.

"I need you to come see my patient, chief," she said as she turned on her heels, without another word. Derek followed behind, confused as to why she looked so angry but mentioned nothing about what he had done.

When Miranda opened the door, she presented before Derek even had a chance to look at the patient. "Richard Webber, 58, minor heart attack. Needs time off for the next week."

Miranda passed him a sheet indicating that with his signature Richard would have the week off because of medical reasons. Derek signed it mechanically.

"What…what happened?"

Nobody answered.

"Oh god, is this … is this my fault?"

"One of a few reasons," Richard answered.

Derek noticed Jackson in the corner and when his eyes met the young residents, Jackson got up from his seat and marched out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

"The others being I have a weak heart and the fact that I found out I have a son just made it go overboard."

"Richard, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean for anything to happen. I regret everything I did and – "

Richard cut him off. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."

Miranda cut in. "Your best friend had to bring _your_ wife home because of what you did."

"I know. Addie told me."

Miranda stopped by surprise. Things _did _travel fast around here. _That must have been who he was talking to on the phone_, she thought.

"Derek, you need fix this," Lexie finally spoke up. "Meredith needs you. You need Meredith." She paused before she added. "Your baby needs both of their parents."

Derek hadn't realized that Lexie knew, but he should have guessed. He knew Meredith was planning on telling her sister, but hadn't realized she already had. Although, he knew he probably didn't deserve to know anything that happened while he was sitting on his ass feeling bad for himself. He needed to make things better.

He hadn't realized that he was crying again. Lexie's last line really hit him and he needed to get home to apologize. He would get down on his knees to get her back. He would beg her to take him back.

"You better do something big, and do it fast to get her back."

Derek thought he had seen Miranda smirk when she instructed him to get her back. She knew that they needed each other, and that this hadn't been the worst thing they had gone through. She was giving Derek permission to do whatever it took to get her back.

He knew exactly what he would do.

**Sorry it took me longer then usual to update. I was sick this week which just gave me a bunch of extra homework to catch up on. Ninth grade can really suck sometimes. I know a lot of this chapter is things being repeated, but it gives it in different opinions. I hope you enjoy!**

**.Enjoy!**


	10. Too much to handle

Cristina and Izzie were out shopping, catching up, oblivious to everything that was going on at the hospital. It wasn't until Cristina's phone rang that their awesome afternoon was interrupted.

"Hello?" she said, still laughing at Izzie's last comment.

"Cristina, it's Jackson. I know it's terrible of me to cancel on the first date, but I really need you to understand that things have gone absolutely crazy here and that I won't be able to make it. I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

The next sound Cristina heard was the dial tone. She had no idea what Jackson was talking about, but she knew she had to find out. The first number that popped into her head was Meredith's. When she answered, Cristina knew by the sound in her voice that something was wrong.

"Mer, what's going on?"

" Too much. Meet me at Joe's in half an hour?"

Cristina agreed before hanging up.

She explained to Izzie that something was going on and that she needed her to drop her off at Joe's. Izzie completely understood, so they left the mall, destination, Joe's. Izzie decided that after she dropped Cristina off, she'd head over to the hospital to do her own investigating.

Cristina walked into Joe's, and rather then head over and sit at the bar, she found a quiet table in the corner. She knew that whatever had gotten Meredith and Jackson worked up, it wouldn't be the best thing to announce in the middle of the moderately crowded bar.

She knew she had been early, but she sat there drinking her beer, watching the doors, hoping to see Meredith walk through them every time they opened.

It was close to five thirty when finally she spotted Meredith come in the doorway. She went over to the bar and ordered what seemed to be a soda, and when she spotted Cristina, she headed towards her person and sat across from her, drink in hand.

"Mer, you're a mess!" Cristina commented before continuing. "You need tequila."

Meredith shook her head as she took a sip of her sprite.

"I can't."

"Meredith, you need tequila. You look like you've just been locked in a death chamber for the past seven years. Tequila will do you good."

"Cristina, I can't!" she said before she felt a tear slip down her cheek.

"Okay, what's going on? You never say no to tequila." She paused before she realized what was going on. "Mer, are you pregnant?"

Meredith nodded before she burst into tears.

Cristina slid out of her side of the table and slid in beside Meredith.

"Isn't that a good thing?" she asked, confused. "You and Derek want kids, don't you?"

She nodded.

"Then what's the problem?"

"Derek thought I was having an affair and now he won't even look at me."

Cristina spit out her mouthful of beer all over the table.

Jackson couldn't handle being in the hospital. Derek was still in Richard's room. He had been in there for close to half an hour now. Miranda and Lexie had left him alone with Richard. Derek needed to talk to Richard about what he had done; he needed to regain his wife's "father's" trust.

Jackson had been waiting for everyone to leave, but it seemed as if he'd never get any time to talk to his father. He needed to apologize for the way he had announced it. But he didn't want to go anywhere near the man who had hurt his sister. He'd never forgive him for how he had treated her. Nobody else had seen it firsthand. They all seemed to have given him an out, but Jackson would not do the same.

He got up from where he was sitting, on the cold floor and headed for the locker room. He knew he wasn't off until six, but he was sure nobody would miss him. He put his street clothes on and headed for the elevator.

When he reached his car, he decided he'd head over to Joe's. He needed a drink. Maybe, if he was lucky, Cristina might have shown up anyway, and he could attempt to explain what was going on without too much detail, especially since he knew Cristina didn't know about the baby yet.

When he walked in, he spotted the back of Cristina's head, sitting in one of the booths. She was wiping up whatever was on the table.

Jackson then noticed that she was sitting with Meredith. He decided he'd join them.

"Hi there. Mind if I join?"

He sent Cristina an apologetic look before he looked over to Meredith.

"How much does she know?"

Meredith shook her head.

"Not much. She knows about Derek's accusation, and about the baby, but she made a mess so I kind of stopped there."

Cristina looked at Meredith with incredulous eyes.

"You told Jackson about all of this before me? He knew you were pregnant before I did?"

"Cristina, he's the one Derek caught me with." Meredith looked down.

"What!? What are you doing with him Mer? You're married!"

Meredith looked back up.

"Cristina! I wasn't sleeping with him!"

"Good," Cristina whispered before taking another mouthful of beer.

"I had just found out he was my brother."

Meredith watched as Jackson jumped out of the way as Cristina spit her beer up once again. He went over to the end of the bar to grab some napkins and had passed some to Cristina, but wiped most of the mess up himself.

"Mer, you owe me another drink for the amount you made me spit out."

Meredith giggled and Jackson was glad to see that she looked much healthier then she had the last time he had seen her.

"Sorry," Meredith apologized before looking up towards Cristina. "He just found out today that his birth mother is my mom, and that his father is – "

"Richard, obviously," Cristina guessed.

"Yeah," Jackson said.

The table went quiet.

"Well I'm headed back to the hospital to check on Richard."

Cristina looked back and forth between her two friends. Meredith waited until she had swallowed her mouthful of beer before she explained.

"He had a heart attack."

"Nothing shocks me after the bombs you've already dropped on me."

Izzie ran into Alex as she entered the hospital. After a quick kiss on the cheek, he gave her a weird look.

"What are you doing here?"

"There's something going on Alex, I just don't know what."

Alex gave her a puzzled look.

"Cristina got a phone call from Jackson and he seemed to have been going through a lot. She then called Meredith and from the sounds of it, Meredith is part of this whole ordeal."

They walked towards the elevator together and got into an empty one.

"So what's the big ordeal?" Alex asked.

"I don't know. That's why I'm here."

They walked down one of the halls when they noticed Derek leaving a patient's room, looking like a mess.

"Yeah, there's definitely something going on," Alex whispered to Izzie before Derek got to close.

"Derek," Izzie stopped him. He looked up and Izzie could tell he had been crying. "What's going on here?"

Derek looked down to the ground before answering.

"I've been an idiot and it's caused several people to get hurt."

Izzie and Alex gave each other a puzzled look before Lexie showed up beside Derek.

"How's he doing?" she asked.

"How's who doing?" Izzie questioned, completely lost.

"Richard. He had a heart attack." Lexie gave them a look saying 'you didn't know?' before turning back to Derek.

"He's fine. I need to go find Meredith." And he ran off before Izzie could even tell him where he could find her.

"I take it that's not the only thing going on." Izzie was good at reading people.

"Not even close."

Izzie looked at Lexie and Lexie nodded.

"Follow me and I'll explain."

Meredith left Joe's when Cristina had decided to go over to the hospital to see how Jackson was holding up. She didn't know where she was going, but the bag she had packed was telling her that she didn't want to go home.

She knew that Derek hadn't meant to be so cruel towards her, but it hurt thinking that after all this time, he still didn't completely trust her, especially when it came to something as big as this. She wanted to know that he was out there somewhere, beating himself up for what he had done. But Meredith hadn't realized just how much he was hurting.

Derek knew he needed to apologize, and not just a simple I'm sorry. He needed to prove to Meredith that even though he had been a complete and total jerk, ass, idiot and whatever other word she could come up with, that he still loved her more than anyone could explain. He couldn't lose her, it would probably kill him. He had been too close to that too many times already.

He picked up the few simple things that could make his apology easier, not that it was going to be easy. He found a bottle of sparkling cider, since champagne wasn't an option for this speech. He bought a box of chocolates, because nothing says I'm sorry like chocolate according to the box. And of course, the dozen roses that were necessary in a case like this, him being the romantic type.

But when he pulled into the driveway in front of the house and Meredith's car wasn't there, his heart broke knowing that she had left. He left all of his things in the car, and ran up the steps to the front door. He was about to open the door when he heard voices inside.

"Where's Meredith?"

It was Mark.

"I don't know," he heard Cristina's familiar voice answer.

"She told me that she was going to Joe's to meet up with you."

"Yeah, and then we went separate ways. I went to the hospital and she said she was going home."

Derek saw Mark pacing through the window. Why does he care so much?

"Great! We lost an upset, pregnant Meredith with her husband out there probably trying to figure out how to face her and the rest of us. I wouldn't be surprised if he were still sitting in the on-call room. I don't know if I'll ever forgive him for this."

Derek slid down against the outside wall. All of this was his fault. It hadn't just affected him and Meredith. He would have been able to fix that. But now all of these people were upset with him. How was he ever going to gain all of their trust back?

"_Derek, when you realized you've made a mistake before anyone else has to tell you that you have, that's when you know you can still fix it. You knew you made a mistake the minute those words left your mouth. You may not be able to take them back, but you can definitely patch up the holes." _

_Richard sat in his bed as Derek melted into the arm chair in the corner. It was just the two of them in Richard's room, and of all people, he was the one Derek knew he could count on for advice on how to fix this, along with forgiveness._

"_I've seen you make her and break her Derek, but she's never been as happy as she is when you're around. You brighten her day, no matter what, and everybody but the two of you see it. You need to be the sun after the storm, Derek whether you were the cause of the storm of not."_

He was pulled out of his trance when the door opened. He looked up to come face to face with his best friend.

"Derek, I didn't know you were there," Mark stuttered at the realization that he had probably heard every word that had just been spoken inside.

"Obviously not," he said with as little life as a robot. "I need to find her."

He got up, but Mark stopped him when he put an arm on his shoulder.

"You'll do the right thing man."

Derek turned on his heels and headed towards the car.

He had no idea where to find her, but he knew where he would start.

"He what?!" Izzie exclaimed when Lexie finished her explanation.

"That's how we all reacted. I don't know if Mer will ever forgive him, but he's out there trying to find her."

"She was meeting with Cristina at Joe's at five thirty. Maybe she's still there?"

"No, I saw Yang leave the hospital about fifteen minutes ago," Alex added.

"Wherever she is, she can't be far."

Just then, Jackson entered the room of a sleeping Richard.

"It's good to see he's finally sleeping," he said. "With everything going on, he needs to be able to forget about it all so he doesn't take another heart attack."

Izzie looked at Jackson.

"I can definitely see a resemblance."

They laughed slightly before Jackson's phone rang. He answered and talked for about a minute to whoever was on the other end of the line before hanging up.

"That was Cristina. Apparently, Meredith has gone missing and she won't answer her phone. Mark was going to go look for her, but he found Derek outside the house and Derek had been determined he'd find her, so he let him go search." He then mumbled something under his breath that no one understood.

"I'm on-call tonight, but I say you guys should head back to the house and wait for some news," Alex said towards the other three. Lexie had already changed from her scrubs, acting more as a visitor at this moment then as a doctor. "I'll keep an eye on Dr Webber."

They all decided that Alex was right, that it would be best to head home. The three of them hopped into Izzie's car, considering Lexie had come to work with Jackson the day before and the two of them had been on-call that night, and Cristina had taken Jackson's car home. The ride home was quiet, but they were met by a very frantic Cristina at the door of the house.

"If I thought she was going to run away, I wouldn't have let her go!" Cristina was almost in tears. She really did care for her best friend and she would feel terribly if anything were to happen to her and she was part of the cause, even in a case like this one.

"Cristina, calm down. She'll be fine, and she'll be back." Jackson pulled her into a hug which confused Lexie.

"They were supposed to go on a date tonight," Izzie whisper explained to Lexie. "But I guess with everything going on…" Izzie trailed off when she spotted Mark come into the picture.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, since Lexie had come home with them.

"Well, um … okay fine, I brought Meredith home after the incident at the hospital. I didn't want her to go home alone and she's like a little sister to me."

Izzie smiled.

"You really have changed."

Derek was nearing his destination. Just a few more minutes. He didn't know for sure where she was, but he knew that if she had wanted him to find her, she'd have come here.

He pulled into the dirt driveway, the same one he had just days before, but the last time had been on a lighter note. His heart skipped a beat when he saw her old beat up car parked in front of the trailer.

_I hope this works._

He pulled the bouquet of flowers out of the paper wrapping and grabbed the bag with the cider and chocolates. But when he opened the door, he dropped everything he had on the counter next to the door and ran down towards where there were sounds coming from.

The bathroom.

The door was open. Meredith was lying down with her head on the floor. Her hair was everywhere and Derek's heart crumbled knowing he was the cause of all this.

"Meredith," he managed to choke out. He was unable to form a full phrase. His brain wouldn't let him.

When she lifted her head, Derek knew she had done just as much crying as he had. The red in her eyes gave him the hint that she had been crying not too long ago. The wetness of her cheeks proved it.

"Derek it hurts," she cried out.

Derek managed to open his mouth, and as much as it pained him, he knew she was talking about how he had treated her.

"Meredith, I didn't mean what I said. I'm sorry I did what I did, and even that isn't enough of an apology. I would give you the world, to show how sorry I am, but I can't. Because I don't know what your world is made of, but I know that you're mine. Meredith, take me back."

She continued to look at him. She looked like a little girl who had fallen of her bike. Her eyes were asking him to take her home, far away from where she fell. He could see the innocent child in her eyes, and it pained him to know that he broke her more than ever.

"Derek, it really hurts," she said as she burst into tears.

Derek didn't know how else to prove that he loved her, that he wouldn't do this again. It was then that he noticed she was clutching her stomach.

The baby.

"Meredith, what hurts?" he said, as he rushed to be beside her.

She lifted her shirt and he gasped as he spotted the light bruising all across her stomach. Yes, he was a doctor, but he didn't know what this meant. But he had an idea.

Meredith was still crying when he lifted her and brought her onto the bed in the small bedroom, if you could call it that.

"Mer, I'm going to call Addison. I'll be right back."

He ran outside, not wanting to break in front of her. He had caused this. He was causing her more pain than he had even realized. He wasn't only breaking her, he was leaving behind traces of his damage.

He searched his phone for the number he was looking for, but it took him a long time since it got harder to focus on the small screen with water in his eyes. But he finally found Addie's number.

After two rings, she answered.

"Hello?"

"Addie, thank god you answered."

"Derek, what's wrong?"

He knew she could hear it in his voice. Even he could hear it in his own voice. His words were trembling and the shakiness made it hard to understand.

"It's Meredith."

"Derek, what did you do this time?"

"Addie, It's the baby."

Addison didn't understand. Just hours before when she had talked to him on the phone, he couldn't face the woman enough to apologize. But had he gotten the courage to finally face her? And what about the baby?

"Derek, breath. What's wrong with the baby?"

"I don't know. Meredith is saying that her stomach really hurts and when I went to see if it looked okay, there was bruising all over. Addie, I'm afraid it's an ectopic pregnancy. What happens if it is? Addie, please help."

"Derek, calm down. It's probably not ectopic. This early in the game, there wouldn't be much sign. It's probably just from major stress." She paused. "Has she gone through any stress Derek?" she asked sarcastically.

Derek started crying once again.

"I can't believe I caused all this pain. Addison, why am I such a bad person? Why can't I be the nice guy for once?"

"Derek, you are the nice guy. You just get put into situations that don't make things very easy on you and you make mistakes. Everybody does that."

Derek nodded, even though he knew Addison couldn't see him.

"Make sure you don't hurt her again though Derek, especially not while she's pregnant. Too much stress can have affects on the baby."

"Okay, well I should probably go check on them."

"Yes, you should."

Mark hoped that when his phone rang, it was news about Meredith, but when his caller ID informed him it was Addie, he lost hope.

"Addie, I can't talk for long. Meredith has gone missing and Derek insisted he go out and look for her. I swear, if I don't hear from either of them soon –"

Addie cut him off. "Relax Mark. I just got off the phone with Derek. He's with Meredith and he's doing what he can to get her back. I have a feeling he's not having much difficulty in convincing her to take him back as he is with controlling his tears. I have no idea where they are, but I know that they need to figure this out on their own, so no interrupting. Got it?"

Mark was relieved that someone had found Meredith, and even more relieved that Derek was apologizing. Things would be back to normal in no time.

Lexie was relieved when Mark announced that Meredith had been found and that things were going to be okay.

"So what does this mean about the wedding?' Izzie asked, not sure if she should bring it up.

"I think we just forget about it for tonight. We're already pretty well organized as it is if we do keep it going."

Izzie nodded.

"I think I'll head home. Lexie?" Mark asked, wanting her to come with him.

She smiled and nodded as she grabbed his hand.

And that left Cristina, Izzie and Jackson.

When Derek walked back into the trailer, Meredith was sitting up against the wall, staring blankly ahead. Derek went and sat beside her, but turned against the idea of taking her into his arms. He decided he'd let her make the first move.

Silence

"I'm glad you found me," Meredith said in a whisper as she glanced over towards Derek. "I can't sleep well when you're not there."

Derek nodded. "Same. I'm glad you let me find you."

"I don't want to fight Derek. I just want to put this behind us. We all make mistakes and I know that you had no right to burst out like that, but you had your reasons."

Derek nodded.

Silence. Again.

Then Derek did something that took Meredith by surprise.

He looked her in the eye, grabbed her hand, and started to sing.

"I'm sorry I'm bad I'm sorry you're blue"

"Derek what are you doing?"

"I'm singing" he said with a shrug. "No better way to apologize then in song."

Meredith giggled which made Derek's heart warm up. She crawled onto his lap and Derek wrapped his arms around her before continuing.

"I'm sorry about all the things I said to you  
And I know I can't take it back  
I love how you kiss, I love all your sounds,  
and baby the way you make my world go round  
And I just wanted to say I'm sorry"

Meredith looked up to him and he bent over and gave her a light kiss. Derek was glad to see the smile on her face when he pulled away.

"How's your stomach feeling?" He didn't want to touch it, afraid he would hurt her. She rested her hands in the usual protective mother-carrying-child way on her upper belly.

"Better, she admitted. "What did Addison say?"

"She said it was probably just because of the stress," Derek said, once again feeling bad for what he had caused. He shook the idea of crying again out of his head and continued. "If it gets worse though, we'll have to bring you to the hospital. And you're not working tomorrow."

Meredith sighed as she wrapped her arms around Derek's neck.

"Why can't the guy be the one who gets pregnant?"

Derek laughed.

"Guys don't have big enough hearts."

Meredith giggled and Derek noticed she looked much healthier then she had when he had found her.

"Speaking of hearts, how's Richard?"

"He'll be fine."

Meredith smiled. But then her face was washed over with pain.

"I had to leave before you came to give him time off. I was afraid of seeing you."

Derek ran his hand through her hair and kissed her forehead.

"It's okay. Everything is going to be okay."

Mark and Lexie had arrived at Mark's apartment when Lexie's phone rang.

"It's Meredith," Lexie said as she answered. "Mer, where are you?"

"I'm at the trailer with Derek. I just wanted to tell you that everything is okay, and that things are all going to be fine."

"Even between you and Derek?"

Meredith giggled.

"Even between me and Derek."

All of a sudden, Lexie heard Derek's voice in the background.

"Meredith, is he … singing?"

"Yeah, he's been serenading me with songs for the last half hour. It's starting to really scare me."

Lexie laughed.

"Well good luck with your crazy husband."

Before she hung up, Meredith added.

"Tell Mark thanks for all the help. I know he's probably standing right beside you."

Lexie looked over as Mark wrapped his arms around her waist.

"I'll make sure to tell him."

When Lexie hung up the phone, Mark lifted her off the ground and carried her all the way to his bedroom as she shrieked while trying to escape.

"There's no way you're escaping. You're now my prisoner!"

Lexie laughed as he locked her down onto the bed by pinning her wrists to the mattress with his hands. He was over top of her, and when finally she cried mercy in defeat, he toppled over and lay beside her.

"Everything going to be okay with Meredith and Derek?" he asked, hoping his best friend hadn't screwed up to bad.

"From the sounds of it, things have gone back to normal, whatever Derek's normal is. He's singing to her."

"Do you want me to sing to you?" he asked.

"No thank you. Meredith's the one with the crazy guy. You don't need to be nuts to get my heart."

After Derek sang her one last song, Meredith fell asleep in his arms. He had gotten accustomed to her snoring, and it was lighter than usual. She was facing him and had her head nestled against his chest. He couldn't believe that just that afternoon, she couldn't even look at him. It had been less than twelve hours and already she was back to where he wanted her most, in his arms.

He fell asleep, comfortable with the thought that she was safe in his arms.

But when he awoke to a crying Meredith, he didn't know what had gone wrong.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Meredith jumped, caught by surprise as Derek spoke.

"Oh, you're awake. I'm sorry," she said as she wiped her tears. "I didn't want to wake you, I just hoped I'd fall back asleep but I'm all hormonal and – "

Derek cut her off. "Meredith, you should have woken me up. If you need me, no matter what I'll be there."

"I know, but you looked so peaceful sleeping and with everything that went on today…"

"Meredith, the only part I care to remember of this past is that I got to sing to you without you running and hiding, ashamed you married me. So what's got you up?"

"A bad dream."

Derek knew it was going to be about some other way he could have broken her. He didn't know if he wanted to hear about it, but he asked about it anyway.

"It was at the hospital. You were with Rose, and I was carrying your baby, but you didn't know about it. You would always stare at me when I saw you, and I was always afraid that you knew about the baby. I didn't want you back if you were only there for the baby, so I wasn't ever going to tell you. But then somehow Rose found out and let it slip…" she trailed off. "Derek, she had a plan." Meredith's eyes filled with tears and Derek caught the first one before it slipped down her cheek.

"Shh, it's okay. It was only a bad dream."

Meredith shook her head.

"No Derek, she really had a plan. I heard her this morning before everything happened. She was talking to one of the other scrub nurses. The on-call room door was open, and she was at the nurse's station. She had a plan to break us up. Derek, I'm afraid of what she's going to do."

Derek should have seen this coming. This had probably happened after Richard had screamed at her in the elevator. She wasn't giving up.

"Meredith, there is no way that woman will break us up. I won't let it happen."

Meredith nodded as she crawled across the bed and sat down on Derek's lap. She grabbed both of his hands and placed them on her stomach.

"Because family doesn't do that, right? And now, we're a family."

Derek couldn't help but smile as she called them a family.

He had his own family, one he had never expected he'd get so lucky with.

And he had a wife that he loved above anyone else.

And he was going to be a father.

What amazing gifts.

**Okay, so Meredith and Derek are back together, but Derek will still have moments where he feels bad about everything. Anyway, sorry it took me such a long time to update. I hope you liked this chapter and the next one will be up pretty soon. The drama is going to quiet down for a little bit, but there will be more, trust me. **

**.****Enjoy!**


	11. Families of the past, present and future

Meredith awoke in Derek's arms. She remembered what had happened the day before and she knew that today was going to be tough on her, but not as bad as yesterday.

The chief had given her the day off. She was still in pain and the bruising hadn't gotten any better, but she was going to call Addison today to find out more. She couldn't cut, which wouldn't help with keeping things off her mind, like Rose, but at least she had an excuse to be at the hospital.

She was going to go visit Richard around lunch time. She hadn't seen him since before he had awaken, but she knew he was doing alright. They were going to keep him for the day and release him the next. She was glad to know that he hadn't been seriously hurt and that he would be back to normal soon. Just like everything else.

Meredith didn't want to get him up. She felt safe in his arms and would stay here for as long as she could. But she knew she had to wake him. It was close to six thirty and she knew Derek's alarm would go off at six forty five to give him enough time to make it to work for seven thirty. But she wanted to talk to him first.

She rolled over so she could be facing him but was shocked when his eyes were staring back at hers.

"Good morning love," he said as he pecked her on the lips.

"Good morning to you too."

"How did you sleep?" Other than her nightmare, Derek hadn't known what went through her head that night. But there were plenty of things that had.

"Pretty good actually," she said. "But I was thinking about something."

"And what would that be?"

"I know your mom knows me, and, well, I've met Nancy, but how much does your family know about us?"

Derek laughed.

"After everything that went on yesterday, you're asking about my family? You're the one with the family that doesn't make sense."

Meredith giggled. "True, but that's the point. My family knows all about us. Well, what I consider my family. But yours…"

"They know plenty. Since my mom came down, I talk to her every month and I've been talking to my younger sisters more then I have in a long time. Nancy and Kathleen, not so much. And don't worry Meredith. They know that you weren't the cause of the divorce, they know that I'm happier with you then I've ever been and they know about the post-it wedding. What they don't know, they'll find out soon." He rested his hand lightly on her stomach and she put her hands on top of his.

"Are you going to tell them about this whole incident?" Meredith asked.

"Only if you want me to. Because honestly, I'm the bad guy and they'll probably like you better then they like me if I tell them."

Meredith laughed.

"I'm sure they will. I can be a loveable person."

"Oh yes you can." He leaned over and gave her a passionate kiss that left her breathless.

Lexie woke up in Mark's arms, something she hadn't done in a while. She had been staying at Meredith's, even since they had gotten back together, and it felt good to be back in his arms. But she was shocked as she remembered what had happened last night.

Nothing

He hadn't even mentioned sex or anything remotely hinting at the subject. He didn't ask about when she would want to do it, or when the sex-ban would be removed. He hadn't even tried to persuade her last night. They had just done a lot of talking and fell asleep, cuddled against each other.

Mark was really someone new. And everybody said it was thanks to her, but Lexie didn't do anything. She didn't realize that her just being around him made him see what he really wanted in life, and that was a family.

Izzie awoke alone. It took her a few minutes to remember where she was. It was then that she remembered the last few days and how she had gotten here. She looked around the room, searching for Alex, but then remembered that he had been on-call the night before. She sank back down into the cushions.

She couldn't believe that she had just fit right back in after having disappeared without any explanations or even a goodbye for the most part. She hadn't even apologized to anyone for her vanishing, and they just acted like it had never happened, like she had been here all along. She was thankful that she still had people to run to after the things she had to live through in the last little while.

She hadn't really talked to anyone except for Alex about what had happened back home. Sure, most of them knew that someone hadn't been very nice to her, but it didn't go to deep into detail. She needed to keep some things to herself. This wasn't something she was willing to share with anyone other than Alex. She was glad she could do that without him walking out on her.

She now realized what family was all about.

Although Cristina didn't remember how she had gotten here, she woke up in a bed, rather than on Meredith's couch. She turned around and her eyes landed on a sleeping Jackson.

She suddenly remembered the night before. After Izzie had gone to bed, claiming she had a headache, her and Jackson snuck a few bottles of beer from Meredith's liquor cabinet and headed up to his room.

"_I can't believe the amount of drama today," Jackson said as he dropped on the bed, wearing only a pair of PJ bottoms and an undershirt. Cristina was in sweats and an old ratty t-shirt. They seemed like bums._

"_You should have seen the last three years at Seattle Grace. This is just a typical thing. Although the make up was much faster this time, I think."_

_Jackson shook his head. "I don't know if I've completely forgiven him. I mean, if he reacted like that, how much does he really trust her?"_

_Cristina snorted. "He reacted like that because he truly loves her. When he caught Mark in his bed with Addie, he just walked out without a word."_

_Jackson became wide eyed. "I forgot about the whole Addison thing. I guess he has his reasons."_

_Cristina nodded. "But if he ever really screws up, Meredith knows her family will beat the crap out of him. And it looks like you've joined the family."_

_He smiled._

They had talked a little while longer after that before they both crashed on his bed. They hadn't talked about them, or the possibility of maybe going out on a date, but they had definitely gotten closer. Cristina could really feel that there could be something there and that he really was a guy she could handle being with.

Just as she was about to get up, Jackson's alarm went off.

"Good morning," he said as he noticed Cristina sitting up against the wall.

She smiled. And not a fake usual Cristina smile. A real, genuine smile.

"Are you busy tonight?" she asked suddenly as Jackson pulled on a shirt.

He shook his head.

"What if we made up for last night tonight?"

He smiled.

"Sounds like a date."

Richard awoke with the sunlight. He wasn't used to the sun waking him up considering he was usually up before it on the days there was sun in Seattle. He stretched and noticed there was someone in his room.

"Good morning Miranda," he said as she got up from the couch where she had been reading a chart.

"Good morning Richard," she said with a smile. "How are you feeling today?"

"Perfectly fine. I think you can probably just release me today and I would be fine."

She smirked. "We'll see."

She notated something in his chart before she turned to leave the room.

"Miranda, before you go, could I have an update?"

Miranda gave him a puzzled look.

"An update on your state?"

He shook his head. "No, on everything. On Meredith and Derek, on Jackson…" he trailed off. "How much does Adele know?"

Miranda smiled. "She knows you had a heart attack and she will be in later today to see you."

"Good, and my update?"

"I know as much as you do for the moment."

As Derek walked into Seattle Grace hospital, the first person he met was Lexie. She didn't stare him down like he had expected, but she smiled at him.

"What's with the smile?" he asked, cautiously.

She looked at him, stayed silent and then laughed.

"What's so funny?" he asked.

"That's for my knowledge only." She started to walk away, but as she did, she called over her shoulder. "By the way, you'd make a pretty good singer." And she left laughing.

_Oh so that's what it is… well at least she's forgiven me._

One down, an entire hospital to go.

Cristina and Jackson drove in to work together that morning. They were walking into the hospital just as Owen was leaving. He smiled when he saw her, but his smile disappeared when he noticed someone was with her.

"Good morning Dr Yang, Dr Avery."

Cristina rolled her eyes.

"Good morning Owen."

Owen continued on his way out and Cristina and Jackson hopped into an elevator.

"What was that about?" he asked when the doors shut. There were very few people around, most of them unknown to the two surgeons.

"I don't know. I haven't talked to him much since he told me he was going back to Iraq, but I have a feeling he feels terrible about everything, and him seeing me with you didn't exactly give him the idea that he would be able to make things better between us before he left."

"Do you want to make things better between the two of you guys?" Jackson was a little worried that he'd lose his chance.

"No, not like it was before. I couldn't handle a relationship with him. It just wasn't working."

"Dating attendings, not the best idea, huh?"

That hit Cristina a little. She hadn't realized it, but she had gone pale and Jackson was sure she was going to hurl.

"Did I say something wrong?"

The elevator doors opened and the two walked out before Cristina headed towards the locker room. When she made sure there was no one there, she turned back to Jackson.

"I'm going to be completely honest with you, something I hadn't done with Owen. I was engaged to an attending. On our wedding day, he disappeared after having realized that getting married was maybe too much for me, and I haven't seen him since."

Jackson didn't know how to respond. Finally he decided he needed to say something.

"That's terrible. How could someone just disappear and never come back?"

"I don't know," Cristina shook her head. "I guess it just wasn't right."

"Well I hope you know that I would never leave without warning and if I did, I'd definitely come back. I'd miss you too much."

Cristina laughed a little but smiled when Jackson took her hand. He leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips, Cristina imitating his movement.

"That felt good," Cristina said when Jackson backed away a little.

"That felt right," he corrected.

It was nearing lunchtime when Meredith decided to go visit Richard. She hadn't had any morning sickness, so she was hoping she'd be able to get in on a surgery without her husband clueing in. It may be pretty close to impossible, but she was going to try her best.

But first, Richard.

She entered the hospital and decided it would be best to take the stairs. She couldn't handle the small confinements of the elevator when there was drama spreading through the hospital and she was part of it.

When she reached Richard's room, she noticed there was someone already there. It was Jackson.

"Hello there Richard, Jackson." She went up and gave Richard a hug before looking into his eyes. "How are things today?"

"Good. How about you?"

Meredith looked over at Jackson who was pretending to be reading a chart, when in reality he was waiting for an update on how they were doing too.

"Things are going good. They'll be back to normal in no time. Same goes for you."

"That's good to hear. And my grandchild?"

Meredith smiled at the way Richard was acting more like a father then anyone had ever done before. He cared about her, almost as much as Derek did and she loved the feeling of having someone older and wiser to look up to in time of need, if ever the time presented itself.

"He or she is doing fine. But with all the stress, Addie says there may be complications. Let's just hope for the best."

Richard smiled before they heard a voice coming from the doorway.

"Richard! What happened this time?" Adele came in and stood on the opposite side of the bed from Meredith.

"Stress," was all he said as he looked at Meredith. "Drama."

"Well whatever it is, we need to find a solution. If you have another heart attack, I swear I will pull you out of this hospital with my own bare hands. This place is filled with stress. And gossip. I just heard something about Meredith and Derek getting a divorce?"

Meredith shook her head.

"No way is that happening. Don't worry Adele, we take good care of Richard here. We'll make sure he doesn't get too much stress." Meredith smiled towards Richard as she knew that no stress in this hospital was impossible.

"Good," Adele nodded her head. She turned around and spotted Jackson. "I don't believe I've ever seen you around before."

Jackson got up from his seat and shook her hand. "I'm Dr Avery. I haven't been here all this long. I was transferred here when the merger took place."

"Nice to meet you Dr Avery."

He smiled, knowing that Adele didn't know who he truly was yet. She seemed like such a nice lady, he was afraid of how she would react. But he didn't want to be here when she found out.

"Meredith, would you like to come down and get coffee with me?"

She smirked and he realized he had forgotten she had to give up coffee for tea. But she came anyway. When they were out of the room and had shut the door behind them, she hit him.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"I've always wanted to have a younger brother I could punch, and you gave me the perfect opportunity. I hate you and your coffee. Tea sucks."

He laughed. "Sorry, I honestly forgot. But tea isn't all that bad, is it?"

"You'll need to try for yourself."

And they walked off together, laughing and bonding like a real brother and sister. A real family.

"He seems like a nice guy," Adele said as Jackson shut the door.

"Yeah, he is," Richard replied, not sure how to tell his wife he had a child with another woman. He was sure she'd leave him after she found out.

"But what is with him and Meredith? She's married! She better not be making the same mistake her mother did."

"She isn't Adele. They've just gotten much closer in the last little while. More like sibling bonding rather than an affair."

"Well, he is a handsome young man. He sort of reminds me of you." Adele gave him a skeptical look. Richard went white and she crossed her arms.

"How'd you know?" He wasn't sure how Adele could figure these things out.

"Richard, he's a spitting image of you at that age. Besides, when Elis Grey had gone missing for several months, I knew something was up."

"I only found out yesterday." His eyes started to well with tears.

Adele sat down on the edge of his bed and took his hands into hers.

"You're not mad?" he asked.

"Of course not. I was mad when I found out you were having an affair. It's not like you kept him hidden from me all this time. You didn't know."

Richard smiled. She loved him anyway. She was his family. And now he could really feel what it would be like to have a family.

Miranda was on her way to check up on Richard when she ran into Meredith beating up on Jackson.

"No hitting people in the hospital," she scolded them with a smile. She was glad to see the quick bond between the two of them.

"Sorry Dr Bailey," Meredith said, returning the smile.

"How's Richard?" Miranda had left when Jackson had come in to visit him. She knew that he really needed some time alone with his new found father. But Jackson hadn't had the courage to do anything.

"He's doing really well," Meredith replied. "Well he was before we left. Adele's here and Richard knew that it was time for him to do some explaining. So I don't know how's he's doing now."

"I should go and check on him. Just to make sure." Miranda continued her way towards Richard's room. She was planning on telling him that they were going to release him that evening.

She knocked and Adele opened the door. She noticed that Richard was smiling. _Good sign._

"Hello there Adele. I was just here to let you guys know that we are going to release you tonight."

"That's good to hear." Adele smiled. "And in that case, I'm going to invite Jackson to dinner. Maybe give you a chance to get to know him."

_She obviously knows._

"Adele, you don't need to," Richard said from his bed.

"I'll invite Meredith too. I haven't talked to her in a long time. I remember when she would run around the hospital. She used to always want you to braid her hair. You treated her like your own child."

Richard nodded. "She still feels like my little girl."

"And it's time you start being a father. To the two of them."

Richard and Miranda both smiled.

"Her friends want me walk her down the aisle."

Adele smiled.

"It's good to see you finally getting what you've always wanted. You're becoming a father."

Richard nodded. "And I'm going to make sure you don't get excluded."

Meredith made sure she changed back into her street clothes before she headed to see Derek. She was so proud of herself, getting in on a surgery without anyone stopping her. But she didn't want to tell Derek if he wasn't in a good humor. And she knew that he probably wasn't. With all the whispering, he probably felt terrible about what had happened yesterday and although Meredith had forgiven him, she was afraid the rest of the hospital hadn't. She was surprised when she noticed the smile on his face when she walked into his office.

"What's gotten you all smiley?" she asked him as she made her way over to him to sit on his lap.

"They're forgiving me," he said. "Lexie has forgiven me, Mark, Miranda, Richard even Cristina. They're all forgiving me."

"That's good to know. What about Jackson?"

He shook his head. "It will take him a while if he ever does, and I know that. I also respect it. I mean, he saw the whole thing…" he trailed off as he stared down at his shoes.

Meredith put her fingers under his chin and pulled up his face so he was looking her in the eyes. "I love you." She kissed him quickly before pulling away.

He smiled. "I love you too."

She giggled before she jumped off his lap.

"You'll never guess what I just did."

"I won't, huh?" He got up from his desk and pulled her down with him on the couch.

"Nope."

"Hmm, well you just scrubbed in with Arizona, even though I told you no working today."

"Well, I guess you'll have to fire me for not having listened to your orders, chief."

Derek laughed.

"How do you feel?" He still worried about the stress he had caused on her and the baby. He wasn't going to take any chances.

"I feel great actually. I just helped save a life."

Derek kissed her softly.

"I guess I can't fire someone who just saved a life."

Jackson needed to find Cristina. He still needed to find out if they were going to go out tonight to make up for last night, even if he had accepted Adele's invitation to supper. He was thinking he'd take her out afterwards, and he wanted to make sure she was still up for it.

After he had thrown out half of his tea that Meredith made him buy instead of coffee, he had headed back up to see Richard, but on the way up, he had run into Adele.

"_Jackson," she greeted him._

"_Mrs. Webber."_

"_Call me Adele." She smiled. "I was wondering if you were busy tonight."_

_Jackson gave her a puzzled look._

"_I wanted to invite you over for supper. They're releasing Richard around four thirty, so I was thinking I would have you and Meredith over for supper."_

_Jackson nodded, to paralyzed to do anything else. _

_This could be interesting, he thought._

Before he headed over for supper at Richard and Adele's, he wanted to find Cristina. He knew she was working until eight, so he thought he would go to supper and then come back and pick her up. They could then decide what they'd do.

He didn't know what they would do, but he knew he wanted to be with her.

Meredith and Derek left his office, hand in hand. Derek loved that Meredith didn't pull away like she normally would. She wasn't one for public displays of affection, but Derek was glad she didn't seem to care, especially today. He had heard that there were rumors going around. Mark had been in to see him earlier in his office. He had come to see how he was doing and he ended up forgiving Derek for his mistake. He then told him about the rumors.

Things like him and Meredith getting divorced, or Meredith getting a transfer to another hospital were being thrown around. Mark had even heard someone say that since Addie had been back, Derek wanted to go back to his ex-wife. They were all crazy, and he knew Meredith didn't believe them, but he still hated the idea of people whispering about them.

"Adele?" he asked as he saw the familiar woman walk up to them.

"Derek! How are you?"

"I'm doing pretty good actually. Are you here visiting Richard?"

"Taking him home actually. But before I did that, I wanted to ask if Meredith and you would like to come over for supper. Jackson is supposed to be coming too."

Derek looked over to Meredith who answered.

"That would be very nice."

"So around five thirty?"

Meredith and Derek nodded their heads and continued towards the nurse's station after having said goodbye to Adele.

But the starring eyes told Derek that it would be a while before people started to believe that things were alright.

After Cristina got out of surgery, she headed to the locker room for a break. On the way there, she met up with Lexie.

"I was talking to Izzie," Lexie started. "She said her meeting with my brother-in-law about the food for the wedding went well."

"That's good to know. So we are still having this wedding?"

"By the sounds of it, yes. I know that Meredith has completely forgiven Derek, so if she can, why can't we?"

Cristina nodded as they entered the locker room. When she reached her locker, she noticed there was a note inside.

_Cristina,_

_Have been invited out for supper and couldn't say no. I'll pick you up at eight and tell you all about it,_

_Love Jackson_

"Who's that from?" Lexie asked as she noticed Cristina smiling at the letter.

"Jackson," she answered without hesitation. She had grown to respect and to her surprise, had become friends with her best friend's sister.

"You and Avery? Hmm, interesting."

"That was very delicious Adele," Meredith said as she carried out the plates from the dining room to the kitchen. Supper had been fairly quiet and when they talked, it had mostly been about work. Derek had left about half an hour ago, after having gotten a page from the hospital telling him they seriously needed him at the hospital. He had excused himself and left very quickly.

That left her, Jackson, Adele and Richard.

Meredith knew Jackson had been very quiet because of the circumstances he was in. Adele had known Meredith since she was an infant and even used to watch her when her father couldn't. Even though it was hard to admit, Adele had missed the free spirited child when her and her mother had left for Boston.

But Jackson had just met this woman today. His father's wife. It was weird for him, to have her be so nice to him even if he knew nothing about him. But he was wrong.

"_I went to school with your mother," she had said, out of the blue._

"_Huh?" Jackson didn't know what she was talking about._

"_I was roommates with your adoptive mother when we were in college. We stayed in contact until after you were born. She had told me she had adopted a little boy. I saw pictures and she told me your name. But after that, she stopped mailing me. I think she might have clued into the whole situation. I don't really know."_

_She paused when she saw the expression on all three of their faces. She laughed at them then continued._

"_When Richard introduced me to you today, it had all clicked in. You look so much like him, and the name rang a bell. I then remembered that my friend – your mom – lived in Vermont, which was where Ellis had gone for her "business trip" oh so many years ago. I had guessed before Richard had even told me."_

_Jackson couldn't believe what he was hearing._

"_Wow," was all he could say._

Meredith flashed back to the present, where Adele had started to fill the sink with warm water and dish soap. Meredith grabbed a dish towel, ready to help out.

"Oh hun, you don't need to," Adele said as she turned off the tap.

"It's the least I can do. Besides, it gives me a chance to have someone to talk to."

Adele knew that she hadn't had much of a mother, and she was glad Meredith felt so comfortable around her. She wished she had her own daughter, but she could definitely see Meredith as someone she could build one of those bonds with.

"I'm glad to know you want to talk to me. And remember, I'm always here if you need someone."

"Thanks."

They started to wash the dishes when Adele asked, a little nervously.

"How is Derek enjoying his new job?"

Meredith shrugged. "Not as much as he thought he would. Too much to deal with, not enough surgery."

Adele then hesitated before asking her next question.

"Could I ask you a more personal question?"

"Sure…" Meredith said, unsure of what to expect.

Adele set down the plate she was washing before looking towards the young woman. "How are things going with your marriage, I mean, with him being chief?"

Meredith was surprised by how Adele looked so broken as she asked. She knew what had happened to Adele and Richard because he was spending too much time at work. Adele was just worried that the same thing would happen to her. Something her own mother wouldn't have even considered worrying over.

"It's good actually," Meredith replied hesitantly. She continued when she saw hope in Adele's eye. "I guess that me being a surgeon too makes me realize why he does it, and since he is chief, he has a way with the schedule, so he does his best so that we have the same days off which means we have the same days at work. It really does help, especially considering…" she trailed off when she realized that Adele probably knew nothing about her being pregnant. She felt bad telling her about it, considering Adele was never able to have children. And the fact that she had just been talking about her relationship with her husband and how well things were going, when clearly, the older woman hadn't had that luck with her marriage, just made her even more hesitant at continuing.

"Considering?" Adele looked genuinely curious. Meredith decided it wouldn't hurt to tell her.

"Can you keep a secret?" Meredith asked, hoping that her pregnancy was still a secret.

Adele's eyes lit up at the sudden trust the young woman had in her. "Sure."

"Derek and I are expecting."

Adele's eyes grew bigger, but Meredith saw the shimmer.

"That's incredible news Meredith! Are you trying to keep it on the down low at the hospital?"

Meredith nodded. "The hospital already knows too much about our relationship. We thought it might be nice to have some sort of privacy in our lives. We've only told our closest friends and what we consider family, other than Derek's real family. We're waiting until we go to visit them in two weeks."

Adele hesitated once more before asking.

"Does Richard know?"

Meredith smiled. "Yes, he was one of the first. And he's already been mentioning how he'll finally get to be somewhat of a grandfather."

Adele laughed. "You realize he'll spoil that child rotten?"

"I know," Meredith said with a giggle. "And I hope you'll be in his or her life too."

Adele smiled as she took Meredith into a hug.

"As if he or she were my own grandchild."

After Meredith and Adele had gone to the kitchen with the dishes, Jackson found himself alone with Richard.

"When did you find out?" Richard asked as the silence between them was getting to heavy.

"Yesterday around lunchtime. I found Meredith shortly after lunch and I needed to tell her so I could find out who my father was. All it said on my birth certificate was that my birth mother was Ellis Grey. It had my birth father marked as unknown. I needed to ask her if she knew. It didn't take her a second to respond when I asked her if she knew who my birth father was."

Richard nodded but stayed silent.

"I'm sorry about the heart attack," Jackson apologized.

"It's not your fault. There was just too much going on."

It was Jackson's turn to nod.

"So is this the part where I ask you about your life?" Richard wanted to get to know his son, but didn't know how.

"Sure. Well I was born in Vermont where I went to school. I went to college in Europe because I had skipped several grades in elementary school so they wouldn't accept me anywhere here due to my age. My grandfather got me into only the best programs when I told him I wanted to be a surgeon."

"How about now?"

"Well, I'm working at Seattle Grace hospital," they laughed as he said this, "and I've made plenty of friends in the few months I've been there." He checked his watch as he said this. "Speaking of which, I have a date in half an hour."

"Oh a girlfriend huh? Will I get the honor of meeting her, maybe even giving my opinion on whether I approve of her?" Richard said with a smile.

"Oh don't worry you know her."

Richard suddenly became curious.

"Don't tell me you've fallen into the Seattle Grace love trap?"

"I'm afraid I have," he said as he grabbed his coat. "But don't worry. Unlike everyone else, I've fallen for someone in my own league."

"A resident huh?"

"Yes and one you know very well at that."

Richard thought about it, but the only resident he knew very well was Meredith. Of course, there was Yang who Meredith spent a lot of time with and he had grown to know since he started back as an attending. He then smiled at the realization he had made.

"She'll steal all your surgeries, trust me. So I'd watch your back if I were you."

"You guessed?"

"Yang."

Jackson smiled.

There was a short silence followed by what sounded like an explosion not to far away.

"What the hell was that?" Jackson asked.

Just then, three sets of pagers went off at once. Meredith came out of the dining room when she heard the other two's pagers also.

Her phone started ringing and she answered only to hear a breathless Derek.

"Derek? What's going on?"

"Meredith, a plane just crashed a block from the hospital. It's in flames and the firemen are pulling out more lifeless bodies than live ones. We need everybody we can get to make sure there are at least some survivors."

Meredith hung up the phone without another word. She walked to the front door, followed by the others, having heard Derek through the phone.

She gasped when she saw the flames flying in the air not a mile away.

**Sorry it took me so long to update. I'll try my best to be faster in the future. I also want to apologize for how confusing the changes in point of view may have been for some of you. I only realized that the bar I put to divide the point of views didn't show up on Fanfic. I'm going to see if the changes I have made work. If not, I'll try something else next update.**

**P.S. For anybody who watched last night's episode, I just want to say how awesome my prediction of a stairwell confrotation between Cristina/Owen/Teddy was. (Chapter 2) Yeah, I'm just that good (:**

**SEASON FINALE NEXT WEEK LOOKS AMAZING !**


	12. Holding back the fear and the tears

"Holy crap!" Jackson exclaimed as he saw the flame.

"We need to get to the hospital," Richard said as he grabbed his coat.

"Richard! You're not supposed to be going to work." Adele walked in, only then noticing the scene through the doorway. "What's going on?"

"A plane crashed," Meredith said. "We'll need him Adele. We'll still make sure he doesn't get to much stress, but we need him."

Adele hesitated before agreeing with letting him go.

The three surgeons jumped into Jackson's car and headed straight for the hospital. They needed to pass close to the scene to get to there, and Meredith couldn't handle it. She clutched her stomach and closed her eyes. The people on the side of the road screaming were enough for her to handle.

When finally they made it to the hospital, it was chaos. Almost as much as it had been at the ferry crash. But this time, Meredith knew nothing would happen to her.

They ran to the pit, where bodies, dead and alive, were coming in ten a minute. Ambulances were traveling back and forth between the scene and the hospital, them not being too far apart, the traveling went by fairly fast.

Meredith and Jackson noticed a group of residents assembled, jobs being distributed so that there wasn't too much chaos.

"We want some of you to head over to the clinic, it being used as an overflow. Please make sure that if you find a patient that is very seriously injured that they be sent in here directly." Bailey had taken charge and the residents all seemed to follow the instructions as some headed to help the patients who had just entered and others made their way towards the clinic.

Meredith decided she'd head over to the clinic, it probably being the calmest spot in the entire hospital right now. She found a patient who didn't seem too injured and decided she'd start off with that.

"Hello sir," she said. "Where does it hurt?"

He shook his head. "Don't worry about me. There are others who are worse off than me. I tried my best to keep the plane in the air, but sometimes things just happen." He started weeping. Meredith understood that he was the pilot. "I didn't want to hurt anybody. I landed the plane in a field, but it didn't seem to help my passengers. Please help them."

Meredith nodded as she saw he wasn't near death. She took his advice and decided she'd find someone who was more hurt. It was then that she heard someone scream.

"Please! Someone!"

She ran over to where she found a woman laying on her side. When she rolled her over, she noticed the piece of fiber glass from the shell of the plane stabbed into her side.

"Okay mam, I need you to stay calm." Meredith tried controlling the patient, but it was then she noticed the bump on her stomach. She stopped.

"My son! It's hurting him!"

Her patient was pregnant. She looked to be about five months along. Meredith turned white and tried controlling the bleeding, but she started to feel light headed. She knew she couldn't do this. She couldn't handle this. And that's when she felt the weight give out from under her.

Jackson was wrapping a patient's leg with gauze when he heard Meredith trying to calm her patient just two beds down. He looked over and he saw the color drain from her face as the patient exclaimed about something hurting her son.

The next thing he knew, he was on his feet about to help Meredith when he actually ended up catching his sister as she fell over.

"Meredith! Wake up!"

That's when he heard Richard's voice behind him.

"I'll take her. I haven't been cleared for surgery so at least I'll be able to help somehow."

"Thanks."

Richard carried her out as Jackson turned to face the patient who seemed to have calmed down due to the scene that had happened in front of her.

"I need to know any medical conditions or problems you are going through at this moment. We don't have time for an entire history." Jackson had focused back on work, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to completely clear Meredith out of his mind.

"I'm pregnant," she answered. Jackson immediately caught on. So did she by the expression on his face. "That's the reason that doctor reacted, right?"

Jackson looked her in the eye before answering.

"I'm not supposed to reveal that kind of information…" He paused and then continued, but in a whisper. "It hit her hard. She had problems yesterday that could have resulted in her losing her baby."

The patient nodded her head.

"But we're not going to let that happen, to either of you."

Derek was panicking. This was too much. So many people, so little survivors. He didn't know how to handle it all. He needed help from someone who knew how to handle this. He needed Richard.

He knew that Richard would not be able to be cleared for surgery, the hospital would never allow it, but he needed everyone's help. Richard could help him with this surely.

Since he was near his office, he decided he'd check for him there before trying to page him.

When he reached Richard's office, he noticed the door was open. He walked in, and noticed that Richard wasn't there. But Meredith was.

"Meredith? What's wrong?"

She was really pale, and her forehead was soaked, but it didn't look like sweat.

"Nothing. I just… fainted," she admitted.

"Mer, you need to sit this one out. This amount of stress will affect the baby. Please, don't put yourself through this."

She nodded as he headed back for the door.

"I wish I could stay here by your side, but –"

"But you have people to take care of," she cut him off. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine."

"Okay, and if you see Richard, tell him I'm looking for him."

"Sure, now go! It's a beautiful night to save lives."She smiled as he blew her a kiss and ran off.

It was early the next morning when things started to calm down a little. There were still some patients left that needed surgery, but the worst of it was over. After Derek had found Richard, he got a few surgeries done while Richard controlled the situation, considering he wouldn't be able to perform his own surgeries. At least it made him feel like he was doing something.

Meredith had fallen asleep on the couch in Richard's office and he knew that she needed the sleep. Things had just been so crazy these last few days that he was surprised she was still standing. He didn't know if he would have survived it. But he knew Meredith was strong, that nothing could break her for good.

It was close to six o'clock when he noticed her stretching out of sleep.

"Good morning sleepy," he said with a laugh. "How was the couch?"

She grunted. "Stiff."

Richard laughed. "Not as nice as the one in the chief's office, huh?"

She sat up. "Not even close. What happened after I fell asleep?"

"Other than chaos, not much. Lots of deaths, not enough survivors."

Meredith was afraid to ask, but she felt like she needed to know.

"What about the patient, the one I was with before…"

Richard smiled. "Jackson took over after I brought you here. Both the patient and her baby survived."

Meredith nodded. "Good."

There was silence before Richard started on a new subject.

"I'm worried about you," he said as he came and sat beside her. "When Addie gets back next week, I want you in to see her because of everything that has happened. I want to make sure you and the baby are really okay."

"I'll make an appointment right away, dad."

Richard smiled a huge grin at her last word.

"I'm really glad you've given me a chance Meredith. This time last year, you wouldn't even look at me. Look at us now."

"Well, you've got a son to catch up with, and I know for a fact that Adele is grateful to finally see you as a father, all things considered. Now you have two of us to keep your hands full." She smirked as she reached over and gave him a hug.

"I guess I'll just have to deal with it. But it's worth it."

After Lexie got out of her surgery, she realized just how fast things could happen. Her patient didn't make it. This morning, he got up, packed his bags and got on the plane, probably not for the first time. He probably didn't even think about the chances of it crashing, let alone it taking his life. But it did. And he didn't even get the chance to live his life. He was only in his early twenties, close to her age, and he hadn't lived his life to the fullest. Now he never would.

She knew what she had to do. She needed to find Mark. She needed to tell him just how much she loved him, just how much he meant to her.

She walked by the board and noticed he wasn't in surgery. As she turned around, she came face to face with the exact person she was looking for.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and didn't let go until Mark finally spoke up.

"What's wrong?"

She pulled away and Mark noticed the tears in her eyes. He wiped them away before they had a chance to fall.

"Mark, I see people come in here every day who die unexpectedly. My mom died from the hiccups. And I just realized that I need you to know that I love you, with all my heart, and I don't want to die without you knowing that."

Mark was shocked by her sudden outburst. "I love you too, more than you can even imagine, and I don't want you to die period." He smiled as she wrapped her arms around him again.

"I need you," she whispered in his ear.

"I need you too," he said as he pushed her into the nearest on-call room.

Meredith had gotten up after having talked to Richard and headed out to see where she could help. She needed to go back to being a doctor since in the last few days, she hadn't done a whole lot. She ran into Cristina who had just gotten out of a surgery.

"Where have you been?" Cristina asked as she approached Meredith.

"I fainted last night, Richard brought me to his office and Derek told me to sit this one out. But I'm good now and I'm going to see where I can help."

Cristina smirked. "I wish I had been as lucky as you when I was pregnant."

"Lucky?" With everything Meredith had gone through in the last few days, she didn't know how Cristina could have possibly called her lucky.

"Yeah, you've got a bunch of people worried about you, and everyone is there for you."

"Cris, you didn't tell anyone until after the fact. You would have had the same treatment."

"But that's it Meredith. You got it at the perfect timing. You knew what you wanted, and everything was on track. I was an intern sleeping with an attending whom I wasn't supposed to be with and had a resident who would have killed me if she found out."

"True, but she didn't find out until after she had completely tortured Derek and me. And you should have seen her when you were being operated on. She wouldn't leave your side."

Cristina nodded.

"I guess we both have pretty screwed up lives."

"Always have, always will."

It was exactly a week since her first arrival when Addison walked back into Seattle Grace hospital. She had heard about the plane crash, but she knew that everything had been taken care of before she got there. She knew that things had gone back to normal and that everything was okay between Meredith and Derek. But she was shocked when the first people she ran into when walking into the hospital were Meredith and Jackson, laughing as they walked out the main entrance way.

"Addison! You're back!" Meredith exclaimed as she saw her walk in through the doors.

"Yes, for good this time. It looks like you're back to normal since the last time I talked to you."

Meredith nodded, but made sure she mentioned Richard's demands.

"Richard wants me to get checked out anyway, because of everything that has happened. He says he wants to make sure his daughter and grandchild are perfectly fine."

"He's very protective. I'll book you an appointment for this afternoon." She then looked over towards Jackson and back at Meredith. "I take it the cat's out of the bag?"

Meredith looked at her funny, and then understood.

"No, not really. The only people who seem to know are the ones we intended on telling, plus a few extras due to everything that happened."

Addison looked confused.

"How much of what happened last week do you actually know about?" Meredith thought Addie knew the entire story, but by the looks she had been giving Jackson when they talked about the baby told Meredith that she didn't know the entire truth.

"There's more than what Derek did?"

Meredith laughed. "Oh, there's much more. Like how Richard had a heart attack when he found out he had a son he never knew about, with Ellis." She pointed to Jackson. "And how I found out I have a half-brother."

Addison's eyes grew three times bigger.

"I think we should probably do that check up now."

Meredith nodded and followed Addie up to the maternity ward after telling Jackson she'd catch a ride home with Derek later on.

Lexie and Mark's relationship grew stronger and stronger as the days went by. Every time he'd run into her in the hallway, he could feel his heart race. He smiled at the mention of her name and he kissed her every possible chance he had.

Lexie, on her side, felt like he was a whole new person. And she loved him even more than she had before because of it. He started acting like the family type guy more than as the man whore. He wanted a family, with her, but she wasn't sure if she was quite ready for that just yet.

Mark had been searching for Lexie when he bumped into someone. It was only when he saw how it was that his expression went from smiley, to downright afraid.

"Hello there Dr Sloan," she said.

"Rose," he nodded back.

"You don't happen to know where the chief is do you?"

Mark shook his head. "Even if I did, why would I tell you?"

She shrugged. "Because, he still loves me, he just can't admit to it because he's married to the wrong person, again."

Mark's eyes were throwing daggers at her now. "You're wrong. Meredith is everything to him, and you'll never hurt that."

"We'll see," she whispered as she walked down the hall.

Addison, followed by Meredith, headed down the hall towards Derek's office.

"I thought we were going to go do my checkup?" Meredith asked, a little confused.

"Oh, we are. I just need to let the chief know I'm here and get my name tag and pager. Besides, you should ask him if he'd like to join. He did help get you in this situation, him getting you pregnant and causing you all this stress."

"Maybe," Meredith replied with a shrug followed by a giggle.

As they crossed the bridge, they saw a raging Mark through Derek's office window. Addie looked over to Meredith, who had also seen the scene, and she shrugged, not knowing what could have gotten him so mad.

When they got closer, the two women could hear him scream.

"Fire her! Kick her ass out of this hospital!"

"I wonder who he's talking about," Meredith said as they reached the door.

"Hopefully not me," Addie replied with a laugh. When she knocked, Mark stopped his yelling and opened the door.

"What's up with all the yelling?" Addie asked. The two men looked at her, than at Meredith and back at her.

"I don't think this is the best time to tell you," Mark answered as he looked back to Meredith. When he saw her expression, he had guessed that she had caught on.

"I know what this is about," she answered. "It's Rose, isn't it?"

Derek got up from his seat and took both of her hands in his.

"Meredith, don't worry about her. She can't do anything to us. There's no way she'll ever get me away from you."

Meredith nodded into his chest as he pulled her into his arms. When finally she pulled away, Derek looked back up at Addie, Mark having already left.

"You're back!" He gave her a friendly hug and went to his desk to grab her name tag, her scrubs and a brand new pager. "I believe this is all yours." He then reached into his pocket. "And a key to your new office to top it all off."

"Thank you," she answered as she looked at Meredith. "Now I think Meredith wanted to ask you something."

Meredith looked into Derek's eyes. "I'm going in for a checkup. How would you like to see our baby?"

Derek's eyes brightened and they sparkled as he gave her a McDreamy smile. "I would love to," he said as he grabbed her hand and the three of them left his office.

Jackson was heading over to visit Richard when his phone rang. It was Izzie.

"Hello there," he said as he answered.

"Hey! I was just wondering, since you had the day off, if you'd like to come out to the Inn with me? I'm going over to start the decorating." The wedding was still on. Jackson still didn't know if he completely trusted Derek again, but he knew that Meredith and him were back to normal again and that last week's ordeal had been put to the back of their minds.

"I'm headed over to check up on Richard, but I'll out there right after."

"Perfect! Okay then, see you soon."

He hung up just as he pulled into the driveway. He walked up the stairs to the porch and didn't bother knocking as he entered. He had been here so many times in the past week, Adele had told him to just come right in.

"Hello?" he called as he walked in.

"In the kitchen," he heard Richard answer.

He walked through the house and into the kitchen where he spotted Richard sitting at the small table in the corner of the room, sipping his morning coffee and reading the paper. When he saw the young man walk in, he put the paper down and invited him to come and sit with him.

"So how's everything at the hospital?" Richard hadn't heard much since the day after the plane crash. He decided not to preoccupy his mind with work so he hadn't asked much about it when Jackson came to visit, but he was due to be back the next day so he needed to catch up on the drama.

"Same old, same old," he replied with a shrug. He then remembered his encounter that morning. "Oh, and Dr Montgomery has arrived."

Richard smiled. "Good. And you don't happen to know by chance if Meredith booked an appointment with her?"

"Actually, if it weren't for that, she'd be with me right now. She was planning on coming to visit too, but I think she's going to come by later."

Richard nodded. "So how are things with Yang?"

Jackson couldn't help but smile. _Things with Cristina were … perfect. Well, as close to perfect as possible for them._

"They're going great," he answered.

"We'll have to invite her over for dinner some time." Richard then thought about it. "Scratch that. It would probably be very awkward for her to eat at one of her bosses homes."

Jackson laughed. "She lives with the chief, I think she can handle it."

Richard shook his head. "Yeah but that's different. He's her person's family. She's gotten to know him."

"Well, you're her person and her boyfriend's family. And she will get to know you."

Callie was headed towards her patients room when she spotted Cristina…smiling? _Nah, can't be,_ she thought. But when the resident came into view, Callie had to admit that there was definitely a smile on her lips.

"Cristina, what's got you all smiley?"

Cristina looked at her former neighbor, shook the smile off her face, then replied.

"Nothing, why do you ask?"

Callie shook her head and smiled.

"It's Avery, isn't it? I've seen you two around here. You're in love with him!"

Cristina tried hiding her smile, but was unsuccessful.

"We're just friends. Besides, he's Mer's brother which practically makes him my brother."

"Cristina's in love, Cristina's in love…" she chanted as she continued her way down the hall.

She laughed at the sound of Cristina's protests, but soon realized that her friend way actually be falling in love. _I wonder how Owen will handle this…_

Meredith knew Cristina wasn't telling her something. She had been different in the last little while. She didn't complain as much and smiled more often. Only one thing did this to her. A guy.

She thought about it, but shook the idea from her head. _I must be imagining things. She would have told me, right? _But something was telling her that her person hadn't told her what had changed her mood in the past week.

She pushed the idea to the back of her head when she noticed the tears streaming down her husband's face. They had gone up for their baby's check up and it had now been a little while since they were back in his office. He was planning on finishing up some paperwork and then the two of them had planned to head over to visit Richard and Adele, but things had changed since they made their initial plans. Meredith decided she'd just sit in his office and wait until he was done, trying to relax a little bit, since she was supposed to be off anyway, but was unsuccessful.

"Derek, what's wrong?" she asked, already knowing what his answer was going to be.

He looked up at her from his spot behind his desk. The blinds were already closed, so he didn't need to think about his actions going public. He got up from his chair and headed over to where Meredith was sitting, propped up against the arm rest.

He slid her shirt up her stomach, revealing the beautiful skin that had not yet formed a bump. But he knew his child was growing in there, and the thought just pushed him over the edge. He kissed the skin very lightly and looked up into Meredith's eyes.

"I did this to you. I hurt you, and now it's hurting our baby."

Derek was thinking about what Addie had said when they were at their check-up.

"_I know that this may be tough to understand, but with the signs I'm getting from your blood pressure and your heart rates and many other things, this is going to be a very tough pregnancy and probably an even harder birth. The risk of there being complications is very high and if your pregnancy were to move along perfectly fine from here, you'd be the first patient in a long time, at least for me, to go without any complications. But if we take the necessary precautions, both you and the baby should be fine in the long run."_

"_In the long run?" Derek asked, not quite understanding._

"_The first few months after he or she is born will probably be fairly tough. Your baby, along with Meredith, will probably be hospitalized for a few weeks, depending on how things go. As he or she grows, they may develop some health problems, but nothing you should worry about now." She noticed Derek cracking as Meredith registered all of this expressionless. "Derek, could I speak to you in the hall?"_

_He nodded lifelessly and followed her out the door into the exam room across the hall._

"_Derek, you can't fall apart. She needs you more than ever right now, they both need you. Don't make this harder on all of you guys than it already is. You need to stay strong, no matter what. And don't forget, I'm here not only as her doctor, but as both of your friends. If ever you need anything, even morale support, you know where to find me."_

"_Addie, I deserve this, but Meredith, she doesn't. Her life has sucked enough as it is. Why do these things always happen to her?" Derek finally spoke._

"_Nobody deserves this. It isn't your fault. Her body just reacted differently to the stress than it should have. You can't keep punching yourself for causing this, because you didn't cause it."_

_Derek nodded his head but didn't move from where he was sitting. Addison got up to go check on her patient, but took one last look at her ex-husband before leaving the room. She felt so bad for him, knowing that things never seemed to go in his favor, nor did they for Meredith. She wished she could help, but there was nothing for her to do, at least not medically speaking. But she would show her support when they needed it, and she knew that sometimes all you really needed to get through the tough times was a little help from the people around you. And she knew that their friends would help them every step of the way, starting off with a way to cheer their gloomy mood. _

_It was just a week away._

Meredith tried not to cry as Derek blamed himself. She hadn't cried when Addie told her that it was going to be a long and rocky road. She hadn't cried when her and Derek made it quietly back to his office. She hadn't even cried when he shut the door and closed the blinds, then sat at his desk and caved. She would rather think about other things.

But as Derek told her that he had caused this, she couldn't handle it anymore. She cracked. And she cried. With Derek. _Why can't things just be easy for once? _She asked herself.

She glanced up towards Derek and as his eyes met hers, she suddenly remembered that all the hell she went through was worth it. She was with the person she loved and she wouldn't trade that for the world. Although life had sucked to get to where they were, and it was obviously never going to stop sucking, Meredith knew she was where she wanted to be. Safe in Derek's arms.

**So I'm posting this in honor of the season finale tonight (which starts in 6 mins for us Maritimers :D) Hope everyone enjoys this chapter, even though it isn't the happiest one, and hope everyone is watching the season finale tonight !**


	13. Unexpected Guardian Angels

Cristina felt like something was going to happen. She couldn't quite place the feeling, but something deep down told her that today wasn't going to be just another day. She had seen Addison earlier that day and realized it had been a week since Jackson had asked her out, yet she felt like they had been together forever. For once, it finally felt right.

But when Jackson had called her and asked if she'd like to come over to supper with "the crew", she didn't quite understand. What crew? It was then that he told her that Richard had asked to have her over for supper and that Adele was inviting a few other people over too. She had accepted, which not only shocked both Jackson and Richard, but shocked her. Any other guy, she wouldn't have even thought twice about saying no, but there was something about Jackson, like she knew for once that this was real. Which was something she hadn't even felt with Preston Burke.

She hadn't talked to Meredith about her relationship with Jackson, and Meredith was too caught up in her own world, as crazy as it was, to even notice. _I guess it's probably better she didn't notice. I'd rather she learn it from me._ She felt like her and her person were drifting apart, that their lives were headed in different directions. Meredith was about to start a family. An actual family. With the kids, and the house. Who knew, she'd probably end up with the dog too.

She felt bad for her friend. She knew that this last week had been tough on her. She had only found out about the baby seven days ago and already it seemed she had had more stress on her then in the last three years of their residency. Cristina knew that she really needed friends right now, and she would always be there for her, but she wanted to do more than what she was probably capable of doing.

She wanted to give Meredith the world. She didn't know what the sudden outburst of emotion was about, but she wanted to give her best friend a great big hug and tell her everything was going to be alright and that no matter what, she could count on her to be there. But she felt like there was something in the way. And that something was her relationship with Jackson.

In a normal world, her dating her person's brother would have brought them closer together. They would have been able to share that extra bond. But in the world of Seattle Grace, it was just another block in the wall of drama. She didn't know how Meredith would react and whether it would make things awkward or easier. Either way, she needed to tell her.

And soon.

Meredith and Derek had fallen asleep wrapped around in each other's limbs on the couch in Derek's office. They had done all the crying they needed to do and drifted off when they had been emptied of tears. In her on and off sleep, Meredith realized that she needed to look at things in a positive way. People were there for her no matter what. She wasn't going through this alone. She then remembered Elisabeth and how she hadn't been ready for this, she was way too young. And although she couldn't do this alone, she was more alone then Meredith was. She hoped for the best for the young girl and really wished there was something she could do. She decided she'd get through her dilemma remembering that there were other people in worse shape than her, like Elisabeth.

Meredith awoke to the sound of knocking at the door. She pulled herself into a sitting position which awoke Derek as the knocking continued. When she got up to open the door, they were faced with an anxious looking Alex.

"Alex, what's wrong?" Meredith asked as Alex pointed to Derek.

"You need to come and solve this," Alex said as Derek approached the door.

"Solve what?"

Alex led the two through the crowded hallways until they reached the cafeteria. Meredith spotted Lexie, Mark and Cristina yelling at someone, but that someone was back to her. It wasn't until she heard the mystery person's voice fight back that she felt a chill in her spine.

"You saw what happened last week. That's just the beginning. Their marriage is going to crash and burn in no time. And when it does, I'll be the one he stares at lovingly, not that slut!"

"I swear, if you ever call my sister a slut again, I will – "Mark grabbed Lexie and pulled her back before she did something she regretted. It was then that Alex took Meredith by the arm and spun her around as Derek did what he needed to do and headed to the direction of the fight to break it up, but also give his input.

"Meredith, you don't look so good. You shouldn't be here. This is just too much."

They ran into Addison on their way out of the cafeteria.

"What's going on in there?" she asked. "Sounds like someone isn't too liked around here."

"Dr Montgomery, I don't want to be disrespectful, but please don't talk about it."

She gave him a puzzled look then looked at Meredith's expression. She took a look into the cafeteria in the direction of all the commotion and then understood.

"The nurse?"

Alex nodded as he led Meredith away from everything. Addie decided she would head in and see if she could help calm the situation.

Derek was furious, along with heartbroken. He wanted to fire her, to never see her face again, but he knew that he didn't have a good enough reason. That is, he didn't have a good enough reason yet. But he was sure the time would come.

"Okay break it up!" he yelled as he got into the middle of the group. "What are a bunch of surgeons doing here wasting their precious time? Go save some lives." Cristina, Mark and Lexie nodded and headed off to find work. "As for you," he looked at Rose, "stay away from my wife or else I will have you kicked out of here faster than you can say fired. This is a work place, not a place for commotion."

"I'm sure that line didn't come out of your mouth until just now. I know you were the king of commotion. Still are," she whispered as she walked away. Derek headed off in the other direction and found an empty exam room. He fell on the exam table and couldn't help but weep into his hands.

"Knowing you, you'll make it through this." He looked up at the sound of the familiar voice.

"Addie, I can't handle all of this. I need to just forget about everything negative and focus on the positive, but it seems almost impossible since my life doesn't seem to be all that positive right now."

Addie shook her head and sat beside him. "Don't say that. You're going to be a father soon, that's positive."

Derek snorted. "But in the process, I'm hurting Meredith. What I've done will probably hurt her until the end of the pregnancy, if not longer."

"But Derek, when you hold your baby in your arms, nothing will matter anymore. You'll be sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, your child crying in your arms, and Meredith will be giggling about your stupidity and how you can't even control a crying baby. She'll call you an idiot, but say she loves you anyway, and you'll kiss her and tell her you love her too. And none of the incidents that have passed in the last few weeks will even be thought about. All that will matter will be living in the moment. And that's what you've got to do. Move forward."

Meredith watched Derek crumble and Addie comfort him as he cried again. She knew that he still blamed himself for everything, and she couldn't help but wonder if someday he would forgive himself, as she had already done.

She didn't want to enter the exam room, as she knew she'd interrupt the moment between the people who had been such good friends so long ago. She didn't want there to be tension between Derek and Addison, so she had decided she'd wait for Addie to leave before she went and talked to Derek.

She noticed Addison look up and she knew she had been caught. But Addie's stare went further than Meredith, somewhere past her, and her look was one of worry. Meredith turned around and nearly passed out when she realized how close the one person she really didn't to see right now was standing.

Rose took her by the wrist and dragged her to another exam room, further down the hall from the one Derek was in. She shut the door and closed the blinds and Meredith was afraid of what she was going to do to her.

"You listen, and listen good," she started. "You may be living in your happy ever whatever, with the prince charming and all, but this isn't a fairytale, and you're not the princess. Derek will realize the mess he made of his life, and you'll be the first thing on his list of things to get rid of."

Meredith shook her head and scowled. "I don't know what kind of ideas you have in your head, but Derek is never going to walk out on me, especially not for you. This isn't doing you any good, you know. This is just making things worse on you. Why are you even trying?"

Rose smirked. "Because I know what the future is going to hold. And you're not in the picture."

Meredith wanted to lunge at her throat so badly, but she knew Addison would kill her due to the fact it would probably hurt the baby even more. She knew Addie was watching out for the two – no three – of them.

Just then, the guardian angel herself walked in.

"Meredith, are you okay?" she asked as she gave Rose a look that said 'you're dead if you hurt her'.

"Oh, this is just so jolly," Rose chirped in. "Derek's ex-wife is protecting his present wife against me, the evil one. What's wrong in all this? Oh yeah, the fact that you were both mistakes. He may be an idiot when it comes to love, but he sure is good in bed." Rose looked at Meredith who had gone pale. "Did I hit a nerve?"

Addison stomped over to where Rose was standing and placed herself less than a foot away from the nurse. "I swear, you're in for a fight. You saw how we surgeons stick together. And don't forget the fact that your job is in jeopardy. I'd be looking for a new one if I were you."

"I wouldn't be. Once Derek realizes that we were meant to be, he'll forget about all of this and it will be our turn to shine. What's the saying? Third time's a charm…?" With that, she walked out.

"Looks like I have competition for the role of Satan." Meredith laughed at Addie's comment.

"At the moment, you're more of a guardian angel, and she's Satan's worst nightmare." The two women laughed as Addie took Meredith into a great big hug.

"Thank you," Meredith whispered.

"It's my duty as guardian angel."

Derek had headed back to the cafeteria, looking for Mark. He knew he had scattered them earlier, but he had a good feeling that they hadn't done much since the encounter. Addison took it on herself to go check up on Meredith, and Derek had insisted he go with her, but she told him she wanted to have a girls talk with her, and that he'd be better off seeing her when he had cooled down some.

So he needed to see Mark

After looking in the cafeteria, he headed out to the elevator to go look for him at the nurse's station. There he ran into Lexie.

"Lex, you don't happen to know where Mark is."

She nodded. "He went looking for you at your office." She paused. "Are you alright Derek?"

They got onto the empty elevator car and when the door closed, Derek opened up.

"Meredith is going through a lot of complications in her pregnancy. Things are going to be tough on her and the baby, and it's all my fault. I don't need Rose making things worse."

Lexie nodded. "We're watching out for her too Derek. We want to help. That's why we stood up when we heard Rose talk non sense about you going for her."

"Lexie, can you be honest with me?"

"Anytime Derek."

"Why do you think Meredith puts up with all the crap I've pilled her with and still comes back every time?"

Lexie smiled. "That's an easy one. Because she loves you more than she's ever loved anybody in her life. She needs you like she needs oxygen. And because you made vows. No running. And you can't run either."

Derek smiled and gave Lexie a friendly hug.

"Now, go find Mark," she said as the elevator doors opened.

Jackson had been to the Inn before. When he moved to Seattle, he had spent a lot of time there, visiting Mike, Sam and Noah. But he was still excited to be going back.

He hadn't gone since they started organizing the wedding. After Izzie, Lexie and Alex had visited, Cristina had come out with Lexie, along with Mark, to get the tour again. Izzie had been here quite a few times, to decorate and to start thinking about food, and just the day before, Shawn had come out with her to check out the kitchen. But Jackson hadn't found the time until today. And he was glad to finally be here.

When he walked up to the front doors of the Inn, he had stopped just to look at it as if it were the first time he had seen it. It never changed, but it still seemed different.

When he entered the lobby area, he saw Mike's expression change from friendly to ecstatic at the entrance of his long time friend.

"Jackson!" he greeted him with a hug.

"Mike!"

They had spent most of their childhood and teenage years together, so they felt more like brothers than anything.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to finally come by."

"Well with work, and all the drama that's going on, I had trouble finding time. But here I am!"

"You'll have to tell me all about this drama."

Jackson nodded and started his explanation as they made their way to the yard. "Well first of all, I found I was adopted-"

"This late?"

"Yeah, but that's not the half of it. The one that we're organizing the wedding for, Meredith, is my half-sister and her husband thought she was having an affair with me when he found us lying in a bed in an on call room, talking."

"But the wedding's still on?"

"Oh yeah. It was all just a misunderstanding, but I'm still having a tough time forgiving him. But it'll happen eventually."

"That is a lot of drama."

"That's only half of it." Jackson watched as Mike's eyes grew two sizes bigger. "When I told my birth father, he had a heart attack."

"You've already met your birth father?"

"Yeah, he's actually one of my bosses. Anyway, he had a heart attack, but he's fine now, and we've gotten much closer just in the past week. His wife, who I have to clear up is not my birth mother, has been so friendly towards me even though I am an adulterous love child. She's been treating me like her own child, since she was unable to have her own."

"Wow. That's a lot for just one week." Mike was stunned.

"Oh, and I also have a girlfriend in all of this."

Mike laughed. "You must have had one helluva week."

"Yeah, but it was all worth it in the end."

They walked across the yard to the gazebo where Izzie and Molly were chatting and decorating all at once.

"Jackson!" Izzie exclaimed as she waved for him to come over.

"I'll leave you to it," Mike said. "I might be out later to help, but I'm waiting for a guest to arrive, so I should head back in." He scurried back to the lobby. Jackson headed over to where the two women were standing.

"You came!" Izzie smiled and started introductions.

"Jackson, this is Molly Grey."

"Meredith's half-sister," Molly explained. Jackson nodded and shook her hand.

"I'm Jackson Avery, Meredith's half-brother, on the other side."

The three of them laughed.

"Trust me, I've heard the story." Molly smiled.

The three of them got to working on decorating the gazebo, and when they finished with that, they headed to the shed to get some of the chairs. It was nearing four o'clock when they noticed the dark clouds forming in the sky.

"I saw we call it quits for today," Izzie said, just as the first raindrop hit the ground. They had covered the gazebo in a huge tarp, and started doing the same with the chairs before the rain got too heavy. It had been one of those rare sunny days in Seattle, and they were glad they had gotten most of the outdoor decorating done. Now they just had to hope it would be sunny on the day of the wedding.

After having spent the entire afternoon talking to Mark, Derek felt refreshed. He was going to be positive from now on. Nothing could take that away from him.

He headed down to the main area of the hospital, searching for his wife when he ran into Cristina.

"Hey, have you seen Meredith?" he asked.

"Not lately. Last time I saw her she was leaving the hospital with Lexie. I didn't see them come back."

Derek thanked her and headed to a secluded hallway to call his wife.

"Hey there," she answered.

"Hey. I'm sorry for what happened."

"It's not your fault," she said.

"I know, but it feels like it is. I wish we could just run off together and never come back. We could find a deserted island with lots of food and just be the two of us, lying on the beach, naked…"

"Der, I'm at Richard's. And my phone isn't very quiet. I have several people starring me down."

"Well, I'll be there in ten minutes to protect you from starring eyes."

"Okay then. And one more thing Derek."

"What?"

"Please come clothed."

Cristina headed up to the locker room where she called Jackson.

"Hey, I'm on my way over to pick you up," he said as he answered.

"Okay then. Just wanted to make sure,"

"Are you nervous?"

Cristina felt weak admitting it, but she did.

"Don't worry. I'll be by your side at all times. No need to worry. You've got me."

After saying bye, Cristina hung up, changed into her street clothes and headed down to the lobby. She hadn't been this nervous in a long time. Well, it had probably been at her almost wedding which seemed to have been decades ago. But she knew she shouldn't worry. She knew Richard and he knew her. She had met Adele a few times, and she seemed like a very nice lady. She had brought Jackson into her home without a second thought and treated him as her own son, even in the circumstances of the situation. She wouldn't be able to hate anyone by the looks of it.

Cristina watched as Jackson's car pulled up to the front doors. She ran through the rain and into the passenger side. When she was seated, Jackson leaned over and gave her a quick kiss.

"How was your day?" Cristina asked as they pulled out of the parking lot.

"Pretty normal. I went over to my dad's for the morning then headed out to the Inn to help Izzie and Molly decorate. I got to see Mike and it brought back some childhood memories. I also met Laura, Molly's daughter. Cute kid. How about you?"

Cristina laughed. "Well other than surgery, there was the huge confrontation with Rose in the cafeteria."

"Confrontation?" Jackson asked as he stopped at a red light.

"Well, Mark, Lexie and I had been eating when we heard Rose talking behind us about something that had to do with Derek. Lexie was furious and wanted to knock the wind out of her, but Mark held her back and only let her use her words. I think we scared her off. At least I hope we did."

Jackson nodded. "She's still convinced that Meredith and Derek aren't going to last?"

"More than ever. I wish she would just give up. It would make things much easier around the hospital, especially for Meredith. They're having a lot of complications with the baby."

"I know Derek can be an ass and all, but they really don't deserve any of this," Jackson said as he pulled into the familiar driveway.

Cristina looked at the cars in the driveway, then at Jackson.

"Derek's car is here. That means Mer is here. I haven't told her yet."

Jackson laughed. "Well looks like she's going to find out." He went over to her side of the car and grabbed her hand. They headed up the stairs and Cristina only had one thought in her head. _Meredith is going to kill me._

When Derek had arrived at Richard's, he heard the commotion inside the house before even going in. When he walked in the door, the first person he noticed was Richard sitting on the couch in the living room. He then heard a choir of giggles coming from the kitchen.

"Thank god you're here," Richard said as he noticed Derek. "I was being outnumbered by women."

Derek laughed. "Try having four sisters. Then you'd feel outnumbered permanently."

Richard laughed as he got up and the two men headed for the kitchen.

The scene was one that warmed Derek's heart. Meredith and Addie were cutting vegetables in one corner while Miranda was stirring whatever was on the stove. Adele was in the other corner helping Tuck wash his hands. It was the smile on Meredith's face that made him smile.

When she noticed him, she put the knife down and he came over to give her a kiss. It was quick, but it felt good. He then brought her in for a long hug as she whispered in his ear, "I love you."

He whispered back, "I love you too," then followed her with his arms around her waist to where she went back to cutting veggies.

"Shepherd, you better not be thinking about deserted islands and your naked wife," he heard Miranda tell him.

"Oh you know me to well," he said as they all laughed.

"Where did you disappear to this afternoon?" Addie asked Derek. "I went looking for you in the exam room, but you had been nowhere in sight."

"I had a man chat with Mark, since you were having your girl chat with Meredith."

Addie nodded and went back to slicing carrots.

Derek gave Meredith a quick peck on the cheek before heading back to stand beside Richard. That corner of the kitchen was crowded and he decided he should give the women room to cook.

Just then they heard someone call out from the foyer.

"Hello? Where is everybody?" Jackson yelled

Richard yelled back. "In the kitchen."

"Looks like we're one person closer to catching up to the women."

Richard smiled. "I wouldn't be too sure about that."

Derek gave Richard a puzzled look but immediately understood when he saw Jackson and Cristina enter the kitchen, holding hands.

He glanced over to Meredith to see how she reacted. She had a look of shock, that turned into a smirk as she set down her knife once again.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed.

Addie gave her a puzzled look. "Knew what?"

"That Cristina was hiding something." She walked over to her a friend. "You've been to happy all week. I knew something was up!"

"I think you girls need to talk," Jackson said as he walked over towards Derek and Richard and Meredith led Cristina to the living room.

"How did you get Cristina to come to supper?" Derek asked.

"She agreed willingly. I didn't need to do anything. I asked her and she said yes."

Derek shook his head with a smile playing at his lips.

"And you didn't tell her Mer was going to be I take it?"

Jackson smirked. "I knew she was having trouble telling her, with everything that's been going on. She needed to get Meredith at a good moment and I know that Meredith is always happy when she's over here, especially with all of these close friends."

"You're good," Richard commented.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Meredith asked once they were sitting in the living room.

"Well, with everything going on this week, I didn't want to risk maybe upsetting you, or something. Besides, I haven't seen you all that much."

"Upsetting me?" Meredith asked.

"Well, he is your brother. I didn't know how you'd react."

"Cristina! This is great! You're finally dating someone that gets my full approval."

Cristina smiled.

"So, how long has it been?"

Cristina thought back.

"Remember that night at Joe's, the one with all the crazy news, and the beer that you still owe me?"

Meredith nodded.

"Well, we were supposed to go on a date that night. But Jackson cancelled because of everything that had been going on. We spent that entire night talking and then since that, it just clicked."

"How did he get you to come tonight?" Meredith asked.

"I just said yes when he asked."

Meredith gasped.

"He didn't have to drag you here? You agreed just like that?"

"Mer, it's different with him. It's like I'm a whole new person. I didn't feel like this when I was with Burke. There's something inside of me that has changed, this whole new feeling that I've never felt before."

Meredith smiled. "That's called love."

Once supper was done being cooked, everyone headed to the dining room. There were mountains of food, and Addie wondered if Adele had been cooking all afternoon. She had gotten a phone call just after Meredith had left the hospital with Lexie from Adele asking if she'd like to come to supper. She agreed, glad she'd get to see her friend after all these years.

It being a table full of surgeons, Addie wasn't surprised that one of the main topics of discussion was surgery. Not always the best subject around the dinner table, but nobody seemed to get into the gory details.

"So, Jackson," Miranda started. "Are you thinking about a specialty?"

Jackson nodded. "I'm really interested in cardio, but I have a feeling I might need to look elsewhere."

Everyone laughed.

"Richard has already warned me that Cristina will steal all my surgeries if I go for cardio, but I think I might be up for the challenge."

"Well, we'll need to find a cardio surgeon before either of you will get any surgeries. Teddy leaves next week," Derek cut in to the conversation

"Have you started looking yet?" Richard asked.

"I've put a notice out, but I'm only going to start really looking when we get back from New York. I don't want to start looking and have somebody interested and not be there for a week."

"That's a smart move," Richard commented.

"Who's filling in as chief while you're away?" Bailey asked.

"That would be Richard if he's feeling up to it. Who better for it, right?"

The discussions sort of shifted until the hot topic landed on the table.

"So, are you two officially a couple now?" Richard asked, his target being Jackson and Cristina.

Cristina blushed but she felt Jackson give her hand a tight squeeze under the table.

"I guess you could say that," Jackson answered with a smile.

"Seattle Grace's love trap grows," Addie said with a laugh. All of the surgeons had fallen in it, at least all of the ones sitting around the table. They all knew what it was like.

"Mercy West wasn't nearly this dramatic. It was actually quite dull." Jackson was the only Mercy Wester to really get into the Seattle Grace crew. He was proud of it too.

"Glad to know that on the rankings of most dramatic hospital, we rank number one," Richard added with a laugh.

"How are the house plans coming along?" Addie asked, changing the subject. Derek looked at Meredith who answered.

"Good actually. We called a contractor this week and he hopes to have it up before Christmas."

"Just in time," Adele added looking at Meredith. "When is your due date?"

"December 16th," Meredith said as Derek grabbed her hand.

"The perfect Christmas present," Richard said with a smile.

"Let's hope so," Derek said as he kissed the top of Meredith's head.

Once everyone had finished their supper, Miranda volunteered to help Adele with the dishes. Everyone else had headed out to the living room to keep talking.

"I noticed Meredith was hesitant when it came to talking about the baby," Adele said.

"They found out today that there are going to be a lot of complications due to the stress being put on her. Her body reacted differently to the stress and is causing a lot of internal mess. It's going to be a long road, but luckily she'll be at the hospital most of the time anyway, so we can monitor it all and everyone that knows about her pregnancy will keep an eye out for her."

"I didn't realize it was a touchy subject. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"It's not your fault. It's no one's fault. Derek needs to get that through his thick skull. Anything could have caused it, but with the amount of stress Derek feels he put on her, he's blaming it all on himself."

"I'm trying to stop though," they heard a voice behind them. "Need a hand?" he then asked.

"Derek, I didn't know you were there," Miranda answered. "You have to stop sneaking up on people."

"Sorry," he answered as he grabbed a dish towel and started drying. "And I've realized that no matter what happens, something positive will come out of it. It may be something small, but something will be positive. And that's what I'm going to focus on."

"Good for you," Adele said.

"And I want everyone else to think like that too. The more positive the environment is, the easier it will be on Meredith."

"Well, you can count on us," Miranda answered with a smile.

In the living room, the others were chatting about everything and anything. Addie and Richard were sitting on the couch, Jackson and Cristina in the loveseat and Meredith was on the floor playing with Tuck.

"You're going to make an amazing mother," Addison said when there was a silence in the room.

Meredith looked up from the coloring sheet her and Tuck were drawing on and smiled when she noticed everyone was nodding.

"I'm worried I'll turn into my mother," she said.

"Meredith, you have to stop thinking like that," Richard said. "You're nothing like your mother. She was cold and although she was a great surgeon, she wasn't the greatest people doctor. She didn't interact much with her patients. You have something she didn't. Compassion."

"Mer, if you think you won't make a good mother, you're absolutely nuts. Could you imagine how I felt?" Cristina was thinking about when she had been pregnant several years before. She then realized she had said too much.

"How you felt about what?" Jackson asked, a little confused.

Addie, Richard and Meredith all exchanged glances, them all having been there the day Cristina lost her baby, as they waited for Cristina to answer.

She sighed. "When I was an intern, I got pregnant. I hadn't told anybody, except for Meredith. One day, I passed out in surgery because of some complication, and I lost the baby. But it's something of the past."

Cristina was expecting Jackson to crack and get angry with her, but he just kissed the top of her head.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Don't be. In a way, it had been better, like it was some sort of warning that it was a mistake. I was an intern sleeping with an attending. I wasn't ready for it."

There was another silence that was interrupted by a ringing cell phone. Everybody searched for their phones before Cristina pulled hers out.

"Hello?"

"Cris, it's Izzie. Where are you?"

"At Richard's, with Jackson and a bunch of others. Meredith is here too." She added that last line as a warning not to talk about the wedding. Izzie got it.

"Oh, okay than, well call me back when you get the chance."

"Sure."

She hung up and jumped back into the newest conversation that had started.

"So I heard that Rose hasn't given up yet," Richard said, and regretted it when he remembered Meredith was in the room, even though she wasn't really paying much attention. She was too busy with Tucker.

"No, she's worse than ever," Cristina said, watching as Meredith looked up.

"Don't worry about me," she said. "I know she can't do anything to hurt me and Derek. She's all bark and no bite."

Just then, Derek, Adele and Miranda re-entered the room.

"What are you guys all talking about?" Derek asked.

The five others looked back and forth between each other before Meredith answered.

"We were talking about how nobody, and I mean nobody, will ever come between any of us."

**Okay sorry I've been slow with the updates. I'm nothing but slow when it comes to writting the chapters (I'm currently on chapter 18) but I need to update more often. There will probably be another update very soon, if not several. I know it's sort of slow right now, but it gets better. Also, I hope you guys like long stories cause I'm no where near done d: Anyway, I want everyone to review this time so I know what I need to add to keep you guys interested! **


	14. Regrets

Everyone had left around nine, and only Derek was left at Richard's. Adele had gone to bed, claiming she had had an exhausting day, not knowing half of what Derek and Meredith had gone through in the past twelve hours. Meredith had gone home with Cristina and Jackson and Addie and Miranda, along with Tuck headed back to Miranda's apartment.

Derek wanted to go through Richard's schedule for the week he would be gone away before Richard headed back to work the next day. He knew his responsibilities as chief, so Derek didn't have much of a hard time explaining to him what needed to be done.

"Okay, so I've got the 26th of April until the 3rd of May off. You'll be needing to start your position as chief at seven thirty on the 26th, and your hours will be given to you when you get back to work tomorrow. There's a meeting on the 27th, and it is crucial you attend."

Richard nodded even though he knew the wedding was on the 27th. But so did the board. Derek didn't know it, but the meeting didn't actually exist, it was just the cover-up so he could get a good chunk of his surgical staff off.

"Derek, you need to stop worrying. I've done this job for a long enough time to know what needs to be done and what can wait until you're back. You can count on me."

Derek nodded.

"Derek, is there something else on your mind?" Richard asked.

"Of course there is. There's Meredith and the baby who are suffering and then there's Rose who is making things even worse."

"There's more, isn't there?"

Derek hesitated, than nodded.

"This doesn't leave us, okay? I think Mark is hiding something from me, and I think that something has to do with Meredith. He's been very secretive lately and he always stops talking when I come up. He's been more protective of her lately, and just the way he acts sometimes when he's around her makes me think that something's going on. It may just be me, but I do think there's something."

"I think you're just a little off because of the whole Jackson incident. Mark wouldn't go near your girl again, and besides, he's got Lexie. Maybe you're just over reacting."

Derek nodded and went back to Richard's duties for his week as chief.

Richard put in the back of his mind that he needed to hit Mark for being so terrible at keeping secrets.

Meredith, Jackson and Cristina were still laughing at their insanity as they pulled in the driveway. None of them had been drunk, but they had sung to Jackson's CD's all the way home from Richard's. They were still laughing when they walked in and came face to face with a pissed off Izzie.

"Somebody forgot to turn the stove off this morning," she said as she led them to the kitchen. Meredith gasped as she noticed the black on the wall and on the top of her oven set. There had been a fire!

"I must have left it on after I made myself tea this morning." Meredith explained. She noticed the charcoaled tea pot and Jackson burst out laughing.

"Okay I know you don't like tea all that much, but you didn't need to burn the kitchen to prove your point."

Cristina and Meredith joined Jackson in laughter, but Izzie was still mad.

"Well, I'm not going to stand for this. I need that stove to survive here. I'm bored out of my mind and all I have to do in this place is bake and cook."

"Don't worry Iz, I'll get someone in this week to fix it," Meredith said with a giggle.

"Have you ever thought of coming back to the hospital?" Cristina asked.

"It's been so long, I don't know if I'll remember."

"It's hard to forget. You'd do fine if you came back." Meredith wanted her friend to come back to the hospital. It would almost be like back in the day. Without George, that is.

"Derek would hire you back if you asked nicely," Cristina asked. "All you have to do is threaten him in taking his wife on a month long vacation if he doesn't, and he wouldn't think twice about not giving you the job. He can't last that long without Mer."

Meredith nodded. "Cristina has a point. Besides, I have a way of making him agree to anything."

Cristina coughed and Jackson and Izzie understood right away. They all gave her the look.

"Thanks for that enlightening info Mer," Izzie said. "I'll think about it though. Give me a few more weeks."

"Good." Meredith headed to the fridge and grabbed a water bottle. "Well I'm headed off to bed. I have an early shift tomorrow."

They said goodnight and the three others went into the living room where they met up with Alex who was watching some hockey game on TV.

Izzie waited until she heard Meredith's door shut before she started in a whisper.

"There was a phone call that came in today for Meredith, and when I asked if I could take a message, the girl on the other line introduced herself as Meredith's cousin, Sienna. She's Thatcher's brother's daughter. Anyway, we got to talking and she told me about how she and Meredith had been really close when they were really little, her family having been living in Seattle too at the time. But when Thatcher left Meredith, her family had moved to Toronto because that's where her mom's family lived. So she and Meredith had said their goodbyes at the age of five. She also told me about how she had found out Meredith was living in Seattle again and how she had found her number. She was planning on asking Meredith if she wanted to come to Toronto to visit her, but I told her about the surprise wedding and she thought it was an amazing idea. Her, her husband and their son will be coming down on the 26th to surprise Meredith."

"They haven't seen each other since they were five?" Jackson asked, a little stunned.

"Well, she told me how when she was thirteen, she got to meet Lexie and Molly. She treated them like any other people, but she kept on asking her Uncle Thatcher where Meredith was. He told her that he didn't know, so she left him with a letter that was addressed to her favourite cousin. She's not sure if Meredith ever got the letter, but that was the last time she tried contacting her."

"So she knows Lexie and Molly. Did she stay in contact with them?" Cristina asked.

"I don't know. But probably not. You would think that she would have heard about Meredith by now if she was still talking to Lexie."

"This could be interesting then, having all three Grey sister's and a Grey cousin at the same wedding."

Meredith woke up in the dark to the sound of something crashing in the corner of her room. She jumped out of bed and flicked on the bedside lamp.

"Sorry to wake you," Derek said as he climbed into bed next to his wife. He wasn't wearing anything other than his boxer's and Meredith loved feeling his skin against hers, as all she was wearing was a tank top and shorts. He wrapped his arms around her after having flicked off the bedside light. He then wrapped one of his legs around her waist as to protect her from any harm.

"Should I ask what happened in the kitchen, or is that a bad subject?"

Meredith laughed. "I hate tea."

Derek laughed too. "That's no reason to burn down the house, even though we won't be needing it soon."

Meredith shook her head. "I still don't know what I'm going to do with it when we move. Izzie said that she and Alex are looking for a smaller place for themselves, Lexie has pretty much moved in with Mark already and soon enough Jackson will be back in his apartment. All that leaves me with is Cristina, and she'll probably be spending most of her nights with Jackson, that is until they actually move in together when it happens, not if it happens."

"You think they're for real?" Derek asked.

"Oh I know they're for real."

"So back to the house. Are you going to sell it?"

"I don't know," Meredith answered honestly. "I don't want to, not because it's like some sort of thing I don't want to get rid of, more the complete opposite. It never felt like it was mine, so it doesn't feel right if I make a profit off of something I never owned."

"Well, we don't need to be talking about this right now. Go back to sleep."

Meredith snuggled further in Derek's arms.

"I love you Derek Shepherd."

"And I love you, Meredith Grey."

Meredith, Jackson and Alex headed in to work together the next morning. It was the rare occasion that more than two of the doctors in the house ended up with the same shift, so they took advantage and car pooled. Meredith knew she'd be heading home with Derek that night, and Izzie was planning on picking up Alex because they were going house shopping. Meredith noticed that the two of them had already put their last encounter behind them and were back to being the loving couple they were after their wedding. She never regretted giving up her special day. Her best friends had gotten much more out of it than she would have, considering it was Izzie's perfect wedding since the beginning.

"You in there, Mer?" Alex asked from the passenger seat. Meredith nodded her head and smiled at her roommate.

"Yeah just thinking about your wedding," she said.

"Regret having given it up?"

"Not really. Sure it would have been nice to have our own wedding, but it had been better for you guys anyway. It was Izzie's wedding from the beginning. I regret not having my own wedding. But you guys needed it more than we did. You had been crap that entire day."

"Yeah, well the love of my life was dying in front of me. I deserved to feel somewhat crappy." Alex smirked.

"So is it forever this time? You and Izzie?" Meredith didn't want to see either of them hurt again.

"Yes, it is. There's no way I'm ever letting her get away again. I can't live without her."

Meredith smiled as they pulled into the parking lot.

"I may not have been there to experience all these things, but it seems like you guys have been through a lot together," Jackson commented.

"You have no idea," Meredith and Alex said together as the three of them got out of the car.

Back at the house, Izzie, Cristina and Derek were eating their breakfast and drinking their coffee in silence. Derek only needed to be at work at one, so he decided he'd spend his morning on the phone with the contractor. He wanted the house to be ready for the baby, so he thought it would be a good idea to start right away.

It was close to eight thirty when they heard the front door open, and footsteps head towards the kitchen. When the door opened, nobody was surprised to notice Lexie, still in her PJ, looking like a mess.

"Mark caught a cold from one of his patients and he passed it on to me. I was hoping Izzie might make some of her awesome soup."

Cristina laughed and pointed towards the stove.

"I'm sure she'd love to, but Meredith kinda destroyed the kitchen."

Lexie's eyes widened at the sight of the still black wallpaper. Izzie crossed her arms, not finding it funny.

"Oh well, I guess I'll have to settle for Callie's soup," Lexie turned around, ready to head out the door when Izzie called her over.

"If you want, I could come over and make you and Mark some at his place. Besides, I need somewhere to cook."

"I'll come too. I have a feeling the chief here won't be all that great of company," Cristina added.

"I've got a life you know," he said as he looked up from the phonebook.

"Sure you do," Cristina scoffed as she got up from the table. "Anything that doesn't have to do with the hospital or Meredith?"

Derek was about to reply, but he came up short.

"I thought so."

"I don't need anything other than Meredith. She is my everything, my world. I breathe for her and my heart beats for her. My life may only have to do with her, but that's because she's all I need to be happy."

"Aw," Izzie and Lexie said in unison.

"I think I'm going to throw up," Cristina pretended as she left the room.

Izzie rolled her eyes and grabbed her jacket as the three women headed out the door. Derek was alone to do his work. And this was the kind of work he enjoyed.

When Izzie, Lexie and Cristina pulled out of the driveway, something told Lexie they weren't going back to Mark's.

"Where are we actually going Izzie?"

Izzie smiled.

"I want to show you guys what we've gotten done so far at the Inn."

They drove the fifteen minute drive to the Inn, discussing everything that had to do with the wedding, including their newest guest.

"Do you remember ever meeting any of your cousins on your dad's side?" Izzie asked, wanting to find out more.

"I met one," Lexie answered. "Sienna Grey. She seemed friendly, but I remember walking by the kitchen and hearing her ask my dad where Meredith was. At that time, I didn't know I had a half-sister."

"Okay, because I talked to her on the phone yesterday and she'll be coming down for the wedding." Izzie retold the entire story again to Lexie and ended just as they pulled in the driveway. There they were greeted by Molly and Shawn, along with Laura.

"You planned this, didn't you?" Lexie asked Izzie as they reached her sister and brother-in-law.

"Yeah, we sort of discussed coming back out here today when Molly helped us decorate yesterday."

"And I thought it would be the perfect day to test out the kitchen," Shawn added.

"Soup!" Lexie exclaimed.

"Looks like you need it," Molly said with a laugh. It was then that Lexie noted that she was still wearing her pyjamas.

The six of them headed in the main doors and were greeted by Noah, the youngest of the three Harrington brothers.

"Izzie, Molly," he crouched down to Laura's height. "Little Laura. You guys are back already?"

"It seems like we're here almost every day," Molly said and Izzie agreed.

"And you've brought reinforcements!"

Izzie and Molly laughed.

"This is Cristina, the maid of honour, Lexie, the third bridesmaid along with being Molly and Meredith's sister and Shawn, Molly's husband and our chef."

Noah nodded. "Nice to meet all of you's."

"We were actually wondering if we could use the kitchen today, try everything out," Izzie said, with a hopeful smile.

"Of course!" He passed her the master key. "You know the way!"

They all headed toward the kitchen. Shawn instantly fell in love with all of it, the same way Izzie had when she had been here the first time. Laura on the other hand was getting a bit agitated.

"Mommy, outside!" she exclaimed.

"She wants to go see the gazebo. She calls it her stage. I think I may need to put her in dance classes."

"I'd love to go see it," Lexie said. She glanced over to Izzie and Shawn who had already started assembling ingredients for their trial meal.

"I'll come too," Cristina said as the four of them headed out the door.

When they reached the yard, Molly was glad to notice the tarp was still covering the chairs and the gazebo. It had down poured the night before, and if it hadn't been for the protection, all their hard work from the previous day would have been ruined.

She pulled the tarp off of the gazebo and Lexie gasped at the beauty.

White lights had been wrapped around all of the wooden supports along with different coloured mesh. The wood had been polished and was now shining. In the back, they had placed a beautiful wooden stand where the minister would stand. It was white and had been wrapped in vines and there were light coloured flower designs painted all over it.

"You like?" Molly asked as Laura started her dancing in the gazebo.

"It's beautiful," Lexie said.

"I got to admit, you and blondy didn't do too bad of a job," Cristina complimented.

Just then, Cristina's phone started ringing.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, it's Jackson."

"What's up?"

"I just wanted to tell you tell Izzie that she's a genius!" Jackson exclaimed, and Cristina could hear Alex in the background.

"What? Why?"

"On our way to work, Meredith admitted to having regretted not having their own wedding. She had been thinking about Alex and Izzie's, and when Alex asked her if she regretted having given it away, she said that she didn't regret having given Izzie the chance to have her wedding considering the circumstances, but that she said that she still missed the idea of her and Derek actually having their own wedding and all."

"Well that's good to know. It looks like we're on the right track."

"Yeah, well I gotta go. Love you."

Cristina blushed, which Lexie had never seen before.

"Love you too."

She hung up and looked up from her phone.

"The wedding is going to be a success!"

Derek had gotten a lot done that morning over the phone. He hadn't realized how easy building a house could be if you found the right people to help. He had found some of the best contractors and builders in the state and they assured him they'd be able to finish before Christmas with plenty of time to spare. That it would be a piece of cake.

With a smile on his face, Derek headed in to work. The workplace seemed to be much more delightful than it had the day before, and it wasn't just his humor that seemed lighter. He noticed many more smiling faces around the hospital.

Derek hoped on an elevator and his smile got ten times bigger when he noticed the only person in the car was his beautiful wife. She hadn't noticed him get on.

"You seem quite absorbed in your charts," he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her head.

"Yeah, too bad they're not actual charts." She pulled out the book that had been hidden in her work. Derek noticed right away the very pregnant woman on the cover. It didn't take him long to realize it was a book about pregnancy.

"If you keep reading that around the hospital, our secret will definitely be blown," Derek said as he pulled her closer.

"Hence the charts."

"You don't need that book Mer, we're both doctors. We can do this on our own knowledge."

"It's always better to know more than less."

Just then, the doors opened.

"Hello there," Addie greeted them, along with Miranda. They had a patient who seemed to be almost at full term with her pregnancy.

"Lacy, meet Dr Derek Shepherd and Dr Meredith Grey," Miranda introduced them.

"Nice to meet you, doctors," she said politely.

"What are you in for?" Meredith asked cautiously, under Addie's sympathetic stare and Derek's hurting eyes.

"My stupid body won't go into labor and I'm already past my due date. Dr Montgomery here is going to do a C-section. She's the best doctor. No offence to you guys, since I don't know you."

Derek laughed. "She definitely is one of our favorites." Derek noticed Dr Bailey's glare. "That is, right after Dr Bailey over here."

"I've taught him well," Miranda said to her patient as she laughed.

"You surgeons seem like such a tightly knit group. I wish I were like that with my coworkers," Lacy said.

"Sometimes, it can come in handy," Meredith explained, looking at Addie and Miranda. "Other times it can cause more messes than imaginable," she squeezed Derek's hand, letting him know she was talking about him.

"She's got a point," Derek explained, backing up his wife. "It can result in a lot of drama."

The elevator door opened and Lacy said her goodbye, along with Addie and Miranda. Meredith and Derek were alone again. But just as the doors were about to close, a hand stopped them from completely closing over.

Mark walked onto the elevator, looking like he was about to fall apart.

"What happened Mark?" Meredith asked, with a laugh.

"It's not funny," he replied as he sneezed. "My patient wouldn't stop coughing on me, and now I have whatever bug he had."

"And you passed it on to your girlfriend. She came over to the house looking like a mess this morning." Derek laughed as he remembered Lexie in her PJ's that morning.

"Chief Shepherd, you stopped me from doing surgeries last week because you were afraid I'd throw up in a body. What happens if Dr Sloan sneezes into one of his patients? That wouldn't be good, would it now?" Meredith said as she gave Mark an evil grin.

"Come on Shep, you can't take away my surgeries! I've already lost my dignity!"

"I believe Dr Grey has made an excellent point. Sadly, we need you and your magical hands, and your condition isn't extremely that bad."

"Hey, mine wasn't either!" Meredith fought back.

"Yeah, but Mark isn't carrying my baby." He kissed her on the head as the elevator doors opened. When Derek wasn't watching, Meredith turned around and stuck her tongue out at her brother-in-law. He just laughed as the elevator doors closed again.

"Childlike behavior will not be accepted in our hospital Dr Grey," he said as he lead her down to his office. Meredith humphed, but didn't fight back until Derek had closed the door to his office and attacked her with tickles.

"So much for not accepting childlike behavior. They might as well just kick you and your childlike ass out of this place than."

"I'm an exception," Derek said with a smirk.

"Oh yeah? And why's that?"

"Because I make up the rules. And I decided that I am going to continue my childlike behavior by doing a treasure hunt."

"A treasure hunt?"

"Yeah. Every time I find you around the hospital I am awarding myself a point. And for every point, I get five minutes in the tub with you tonight."

Meredith giggled. "I think I may enjoy this treasure hunt."

Derek kissed her quickly. "Let's hope you're ready for a long evening with me in the tub."

It was nearing seven o'clock when Lexie, Izzie and Cristina barged into Mark's place. Izzie's soup had done wonders on Lexie's cold, and they had brought some leftovers for Mark who didn't seem to have gotten over his sickness. But he wasn't there.

"Well it looks like we have the entire place to ourselves." The three girls all crashed in different seats around the room.

"Mark shouldn't be long. He texted me a few minutes ago telling me he just needed to do a post-op and check on his patients than he'd be home," Lexie said.

"Home, huh? So are you guys really serious about this?" Izzie asked.

"I think this is it," Lexie answered. "I really believe that he's all I need, that there's no other guy out there for me. He's the one."

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Cristina said, needing a way out of this lovey dovey relationship talk. Her and Jackson were just starting off so she didn't need to hear all of this stuff yet.

"Sloan, open up!"

Cristina swung the door open and came face to face with an anxious looking Owen.

"Cristina? What are you doing here? You're not with Mark, are you?"

"Why would you care? You're with Teddy. And no, I'm not with Sloan, I'm here with Izzie and Lexie talking about the wedding."

"Where's Slo - wait, what wedding?"

"Mark's not here." Cristina answered as Lexie and Izzie came over to the door.

"What's going on?" Lexie asked.

"Lexie, you need to come to the hospital with me. Call Mark and tell him he needs to go too."

"He's already there, and why?" Lexie didn't understand, and neither did the other two women standing in the doorway.

"Just come with me, I'll explain on the way."

Lexie didn't argue, she just shrugged and headed off with Owen.

When they got in his car, Lexie turned to him.

"Can you please tell me what's going on?"

Owen sighed. "Teddy had a check-up today and they've discovered something that could possibly be an STD. They want to check everyone that may have come in contact with it."

"It so doesn't pay to be sleeping with a man whore," Lexie said as Owen chuckled.

Meredith and Derek were sitting in the bathtub, nothing but candles lighting the room.

"You know, when the baby's born, we won't be able to this as often," Meredith whispered as Derek covered her naked body in kisses.

"Hmm, we'll just have to figure something out then," Derek whispered as he nibbled at her earlobe. Meredith shivered.

"It's quiet again tonight," Meredith said and Derek pulled away. He needed to talk to Meredith about his worries.

"Meredith, I want to ask you something, but you can't take this like I think you're going to take it."

She gave him a confused look, but encouraged him to continue.

"Is there something going on between you and Mark?"

Meredith giggled. "You are one over bearing husband. If we have a daughter, I'd feel bad for her. She won't be able to date until she's thirty."

"No, she'll never be able to date," Derek said as he wrapped his hands around her still flat stomach. Addison had said that she didn't think Meredith would grow all that much, that there would just be a small bump even by the end of her pregnancy, because the baby was going to develop slowly physically. Derek could picture the very tiny baby already laying in his arms.

"Derek, why do you ask? About Mark, I mean."

Derek came back to the present. "It's just that he's been acting weird around me more than usual, and he's been all protective of you in these past few weeks. I just wanted to make sure he wasn't hitting on you."

"Mark won't make the same mistake twice Derek. Besides, he seems very happy with my little sister. And if you want my opinion, everyone is acting weird."

Derek thought about it and nodded. "The house is still quiet."

"Which means nobody's home," Meredith smiled.

"Which means…?" Derek asked, with a hopeful smile.

"We can be as loud as we want."


	15. Celebrations

After Lexie, Mark and himself had been checked, Owen needed to find out what Cristina had been talking about.

"What is this about a wedding? Who's getting married?"

Mark and Lexie exchanged looks, but Owen took it the wrong way.

"Oh, congratulations you two! I didn't even know!"

Lexie shook her head. "No, it's not us." She looked at Mark. _Yet,_ she thought. "We're planning a last minute surprise wedding for Meredith and Derek. They deserve it and after everything they've done for us, it was the least we could do."

"We?" Owen asked.

"Oh, everybody is involved. Officially, there's the two of us, Izzie, who's gone wedding planning crazy, Alex, Cristina and Jackson. But Callie, Arizona, Dr Bailey, Dr Montgomery and Dr Webber have joined us in helping organizing."

"How come I didn't hear about this earlier?" Owen asked, a little insulted that this was the first he heard of it.

"Well, we started organizing right after you and Cristina… we just didn't know if you guys would be all that comfortable. Plus with the whole going back to Iraq next week, we didn't want to put extra weight on your shoulders. But you're welcome to come. You were supposed to be invited last week. But I guess with everything that went on, whoever was supposed to let you know probably forgot."

Owen nodded. "When is it?"

"Next week, on the 27th."

Owen noted that it was the day before he needed to report back. But he would try to make it anyway.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Cristina and Izzie were still at Mark's when the phone started ringing.

"It's like everyone calls when we're here and Mark isn't," Izzie said.

"I'll answer it," Cristina got up from her seat.

"What if it's Derek?" Izzie asked nervously.

"I'll just tell him the truth," Cristina said with a shrug. Izzie's look told her that she had taken that the wrong way. "Not about the wedding. About the fact that we had been here with Lexie and Owen came and swept her off out of the blue." Cristina picked up the phone.

"Hello?"she answered.

"Holy crow! Every time one of us calls, it's always someone different who answers." Cristina heard a voice in the background. "And it's always a woman."

"May I ask who's calling?"

"Right. This is Amy, Derek's sister. And I am speaking to?"

"Cristina, Meredith best friend and the maid of honor."

"Good, wedding stuff. That's why I'm calling. I just wanted to inform you guys that Derek called to tell us that Mark had booked their plane tickets and that he couldn't wait to see everyone back in New York. He doesn't suspect a thing."

"That's because he's an idiot," Cristina said with a laugh, than remembered she was talking to one of his sister's. "No offence."

"None taken," she replied with a laugh. "Derek has always been kind of out of it. He doesn't seem to have changed much. I can't wait to see him. It's been so long. I haven't picked on him in almost four years now"

"Well you'll get plenty of chances next week," Cristina said. "It's good to finally have someone on my side. McDreamy is going down."

"Mcwhat?"

Cristina laughed and started to explain the McNicknames, including Mark's and she got a good laugh out of some of the things Amy told her in exchange. She could see an alliance building with some of the female Shepherds.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Meredith was lying wrapped in Derek's arms when she felt the sudden urge to vomit everywhere. She got up as fast as she could, stirring Derek who had almost been asleep, and made it to the bathroom just in time.

"I think the baby couldn't handle all that sex," Meredith said with a laugh.

"Well that's not good," Derek said as he came and sat beside her on the bathroom floor.

"You know you don't need to come every time I hurl, right?"

"But I want to," Derek insisted.

"You want to watch me blow chunks everywhere almost every day?" she asked, skeptical.

"I want to be with you through it all, thick and thin. I don't want to miss a single thing. I want to be at your side, no matter what time of day or night, anywhere you are. A little bit of vomit can't get rid of me."

Meredith fell into his arms and she let him rub her arms gently, the two of them still on the cold bathroom floor. When Meredith shivered, Derek thought it would be best to bring her back to their room. He picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist. She giggled as he pressed his forehead against hers and kissed her deeply, passionately, until their moment had been rudely interrupted.

"Come on, your room is two doors down," they heard Alex exclaim. "Can't you at least make it that far?"

Meredith was about to reply, but they heard the door open followed by Izzie's shushing.

"We don't want to wake anybody."

"Oh who gives a crap? With the amount of nights they've kept us up with their noise, this is the least we can do in return."

Izzie giggled as they made their way up the stairs. The look of shock on their face when they saw the three others standing in the hallway was priceless to Meredith.

"Thanks for returning the favor," she said as she smirked at her best friends. She noticed someone was missing.

"Are both Jackson and Lexie on call tonight?"

"Jackson is, but Lexie had been swooped off by Owen earlier this evening. Haven't seen her or heard from her since."

"Did you say Owen?" Meredith asked.

"Yeah, something that had to do with Mark too."

"Well I've heard rumors that someone's pregnant in the hospital, but no one knows who," Alex started. "Bet'cha twenty bucks it's Altman and they don't know who the father is. That's why Owen got Mark and Lexie."

"Bet'cha it's not," Cristina said as she shook hands with Alex.

"Well, I'm headed off to bed, Izzie said as she walked over to her room. "Alex, you coming?"

He followed her to their room after having said goodnight to everyone else.

Meredith slapped Cristina once she knew that the door had been closed.

"You can't make bets when you know the truth. It could blow our cover," Meredith exclaimed. Derek chuckled at her reaction.

"Alex is an idiot. He'll never figure it out." Cristina knew him too well.

"But Izzie might."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"We're sorry for the inconvenience."

The nurse walked away leaving the three doctors sighing in relief.

"It was just a mistake," Mark breathed.

"Thank god," Lexie said in reply.

"Teddy will be glad to know," Owen added.

"You bet I am," she walked up behind them, her own results still in her hands.

"Anyone want to celebrate the good news?" Mark asked, hoping Teddy and Owen would accept his offer. He felt like he had been drifting away from the two of them, and with them leaving for Iraq in such a short amount of time, he wanted to make the best out of what was left of their time still in Seattle.

"It seems like a good enough reason to celebrate," Owen answered with a smile. The four of them headed over to Joe's.

Mark didn't realize the time had flown by so fast. They had talked about themselves, then about the wedding. Owen and Teddy decided they'd come, since it would be such a great way to leave Seattle. They also talked about Iraq, and what it was like. Owen had been hesitant at first, but Teddy's openness pushed him to talk.

"You guys make a good team," Mark said. "And not just when it comes to medical business or the forces. You bring out the best in each other.

Teddy and Owen smiled, but Owen's smile faded faster than Teddy's.

"How is Cristina doing?" he asked, worried for the woman he had loved, and then hurt.

"She's doing really well. The wedding is keeping things off of her mind, and her and Jackson have been getting close lately."

"Dr Avery?" Owen asked. Mark nodded and explained how he had been staying at Meredith's along with everyone else. "I saw the two of them together the other day. She seems happy with him. I'm glad she's happy."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Izzie noticed that the sun was high in the sky when she woke up. Alex had the day off, and since they hadn't had the chance to go look for a house the day before due to the fact that Alex had been pulled into an emergency surgery, she thought today would be the perfect day.

She turned around and smiled when she saw Alex was awake.

"Good morning," he whispered to Izzie as he gave her a quick kiss.

"Good morning to you too."

"Do you know what we should do today?" Alex asked.

"What?"

"House shopping." Izzie smiled as Alex read her mind. _This may be easier than I thought._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Meredith and Derek entered the hospital holding hands, both of them with smiles on their faces. There was no specific reason for their smiles, but they both just felt the need to be happy. They had gone the entire day yesterday without bad news, and Derek's treasure hunt had been a success. He felt that was reason enough to be smiley.

"You two look happy," Miranda commented as they walked onto the elevator.

"Positive minds," Derek replied.

"I just want to let you guys know that there are rumors going around that someone is pregnant, but most people think it's Dr Altman. If she doesn't hear anything about it and clear up the misunderstanding before she leaves, no one will know the truth. But you guys should watch out anyway."

"Alex has already informed us about the rumors and Teddy," Meredith replied.

"Karev knows?"

"No, the subject had been broached last night and he made a bet with Cristina that the person who was pregnant in the hospital was Teddy."

"Looks like we know who's going to win."

They all laughed as they stepped off of the elevator.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Addison knew that she hadn't made a mistake in coming back to Seattle. She had been having a hard time with a lot of people back in LA and she needed to see the people who had pulled her out of her last hard time. Those people all found themselves in Seattle.

She had missed mostly Miranda and Callie. They had been her closest friends and the ones she could always count on when she needed her spirits boosted. She also missed Mark, but not the man whore Mark, the sweet and sensitive guy Mark. And Lexie seemed to be doing a good job pulling him that out of him. And she missed her old friend Derek. Not the Derek she had been married to. Sure the first few years of their marriage had been good, but she knew it didn't feel right from the beginning. But not knowing what "right" was supposed to feel like, she thought that Derek was as close as it got.

But she and Derek had been great friends before they got married. She could remember the late nights her, Derek and Mark had spent together at medical school, studying or even just chatting about anything until three in the morning. She wanted that Derek back.

She had even surprised herself in finding a friend in not only Meredith, but a lot of the people who had once been the annoying interns. Izzie had sort of grown on her when she had been over at Mark's for the wedding planning. And although Yang and Karev didn't show it, they were also very nice people too. Lexie, even though she had started after Addison had left, was also one of those people she would have never become friends with. There was a big difference in age, but she was sweet and friendly, and Addie was reminded of Amy when she was around the young resident.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind." She jumped as she spun around and came face to face with another reason she was glad to be back.

Richard had always been a good friend of Addie's, him being her and Derek's mentor for years. They knew each other on first name basis from the beginning and even though he had been their boss, he had never done anything change that. She was glad to be working with him again, and he was one of those people she knew that she would still talk to even after he retired and was out of the hospital.

"Yeah, just thinking about all the reasons Seattle was the best choice."

"And, does Seattle pass?" Richard asked with a chuckle.

"Definitely, and the people here do too. I never realized it, but everyone seems to have gotten a lot tighter than I remember."

"Honestly Addie, I think it's this wedding that has brought most people together. Miranda went out for lunch with two of her former interns last week. If that doesn't scream weird, I don't know what does."

They laughed.

"You know, I realized something. I'm one of the only single doctors in all of this."

Richard put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Sometimes, that'll be the advantage. But you'll find it someday."

"I hope so."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Meredith ran into Jackson who was heading out of the hospital.

"Hey, Jackson," she called.

"Hey Meredith, what's up?"

Meredith took a deep breath. "I know you're my brother and all, but Cristina and I are close. And she's promised to kick Derek's ass if ever he were to hurt me, so I have to return the favor in promising I'll kick your ass if you ever hurt her. Got it?"

Jackson laughed. "I wouldn't have it any other way. But don't worry, I'll be a good boy."

"Good." Jackson started walking off. "Oh and one more thing." She walked up to him and gave him a great big hug. "Thank you."

Jackson was shocked and confused all at once. "For what?"

"For finally making my person happy. There's a shimmer in her eye that I've never seen before. She's finally a happy person. And I need a happy person right now because I have a feeling life isn't going to ever stop sucking. So thank you."

"No problem Meredith. And remember, no matter how much life is sucking, we'll always be here for you. I'll always be here for you. You're my big sis."

"And I'll always be here for you."

"Oh and I've already cleared it up with Cristina that if Derek ever hurts you, I'm her assistant ass kicker."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Izzie and Alex had been house shopping all morning, but with no luck. It had been more difficult to find a house than it had been to plan a surprise last minute wedding.

"I say we head out for lunch and take a break," Alex suggested. "We can decide whether we want to continue or not after lunch."

"Sounds good," Izzie agreed, just as her phone rang.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, it's Mike. What are you up to?"

"House shopping. Unsuccessfully though."

"Did you say house shopping?"

"Yupp. You called why?"

"Oh, right. Just wanted to tell you that all the other decorations you ordered arrived here today. The ones for indoors."

"Okay good," Izzie smiled.

"Back to the house shopping. What are you guys looking for?"

"Something rather small I guess. A few bedrooms, a nice size. Why?"

"We've got chalets on the water, ones that haven't been used in several years. We used to rent them out during the summer, but nobody seemed interested in them and the upkeep was too expensive, so we stopped. We're trying to sell them."

"No way! Could we check them out?" Izzie's spirit was boosted.

"Of course! Why else would I have mentioned it?"

"We'll be there in about an hour, maybe two."

With that she hung up with a smile on her face.

"What was that about?" Alex asked.

"I think we may have found our house."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Dr Grey, could you check on my patient in 187? Stephanie gets a little agitated when left alone for too long." Meredith with Arizona today and had had enough of dying children. So far, their twelve year old patient and their ten year old had died, both victims of a terrible car crash.

"Of course," Meredith said as she grabbed the chart. She walked into the room and laid her eyes on the most beautiful little girl. She had dirty blonde curls and her green eyes glistened. She looked to be about six or seven. "Hi there, I'm Dr Meredith Grey. You must be Stephanie."

The little girl nodded and a tear slid down her face. "Where's my mommy?"

Meredith had heard the story. Her and her mother had been the victims in the other car. Luckily, this little girl hadn't been as badly banged up as the two kids in the other car. But her mother was in surgery right now, and it wasn't looking too promising.

"The doctors are trying to fix her," Meredith answered as she kneeled down beside the small bed.

"Will she be okay?" Meredith was dreading the question, but she knew that she should have expected it.

"She has the best doctors working on her, but I don't know sweetheart."

The little girl just shook her head.

"Your dad's supposed to be on his way. He'll be happy to know you're alright."

She shook her head. "My daddy left mad this morning. When I asked my mommy where he was going, she said she didn't know. He didn't even say goodbye to me like he usually does."

The little girl had a broken arm and a couple of bad bruises and cuts on her legs and her sides, but other than the cut on her forehead, nothing to noticeable. Her eyes were what seemed to be pained the most. And not physically. She looked like she was about to break, but she held herself back.

Meredith wiped away the single tear that slid down her face. "You're allowed to cry you know."

Stephanie nodded. "Are you a mommy?" she asked, her eyes still full of sadness.

Meredith needed to distract her patient. "Can you keep a secret?" Meredith asked. Stephanie nodded. "I'm not a mommy yet, but I'm going to be soon."

The little girl let herself smile. "Do you have a baby in your belly?" she whispered.

Meredith nodded. "But it's a secret."

Her little patient nodded and made the action that her lips were sealed.

"When I grow up, I want to have lots and lots of babies."

Meredith giggled at this little girl's enthusiasm.

"Can I ask you something?" The little girl's smile disappeared a little.

"Sure anything," Meredith answered.

"Will you stay with me until somebody gets here? When I'm alone, I can't help but think of bad things."

Meredith smiled and sat on the edge of the small bed. "I'll stay as long as you want."

XOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Although it had been close, Derek's patient made it through. There had been a lot of complications, but she survived it in the end. She was someone's wife, someone's mother and for some reason, Derek couldn't help but think it was Meredith. Sure they had some physical resemblance, but Derek couldn't figure out why when he was scrubbing out, he had been shaking. _Maybe because it's the first surgery I do on a mother since Meredith found out,_ Derek thought. He shook the thought out of his head and headed off to the pediatric floor to find his patients only family presently in the hospital; her six year old daughter.

Derek got off of the elevator and walked down the hall. He passed several rooms just taking peeks inside. All the patients were so small, and they all had family surrounding them. When he passed room 187, he had to do a double take. _Am I seeing things?_

No he wasn't. In the room was a little girl who looked to be identical to his wife. The blonde wavy hair, the green eyes, the small smile that never seemed to leave her face. And sitting on the edge of the bed was his Meredith, smiling at the little girl.

"I have a dog. His name is Benji. He's a cocker spaniel. I've had him since I was a baby."

"I'm thinking of getting a dog," Meredith replied. "But I'm terrible with names."

"You should call him Patches if he has spots. That's the name I picked out for if I ever got another dog."

"Good idea," Meredith replied with a smile.

"Um Dr Meredith, someone is starring at you from the doorway."

Meredith looked up.

"Derek, you're going to scare little kids if you stand in their doorways."

"Meredith, I –"he choked out.

"Is that your baby's daddy?" the little girl on the bed asked in a whisper.

Meredith giggled. "Yes."

"Could I talk to you Dr Grey," Derek tried to ask professionally, but had difficulties getting the words out.

"I'll be right back," she said to her patient as she got up from the bed.

She shut the door behind her when she got into the hallway.

"What's your patient's name?" Derek asked, still a little bit in shock.

"Stephanie Baker."

Derek nodded. "Her mother made it through her surgery and should be awake in the next few hours. Any sign of her father?"

"No, not yet. Stephanie said that he left that morning without any sign of where he was going. I don't know if he's coming."

Derek sighed._ How could someone just leave his daughter? _He then looked Meredith in the eye. "Mer, do you realize that little girl is the spitting image of you? It's as if she were your own daughter."

Meredith giggled. "Sorry to disappoint, but my child is still in my womb. And you're the father. And I have no other children, that I know of." She paused to take in the expression on Derek's face. "Derek, did you think…?"

Derek just stared down to the floor. "I didn't know what to think. I walk by a room where my wife is having an everyday conversation with her miniature. I was just too shocked to really think of anything."

Meredith smiled a sympathetic smile. "Derek, I would have told you if I had a daughter out there. I wouldn't have kept that a secret from you."

Derek nodded and they headed back into Stephanie's room.

"Hello Stephanie, I'm Dr Derek Shepherd. I was your mom's doctor."

Her smile disappeared as she looked over to Meredith. She was smiling, which told the little patient that her mommy was okay.

"She's alive?"

"Yes, and she'll be asking for you when she wakes up. Dr Meredith will bring you down to see her later."

The little girl nodded and smiled. "Um, Dr Derek, can I tell you a secret?"

Derek looked at Meredith who raised her shoulders. He got down on his knees so his ear was at the height of the little girls lips.

"You are lucky to have Dr Meredith as your baby's mommy. She's going to be an awesome mommy."

Derek smiled. "I know."

XOXOXOXOXOOXOXOXOXOXOX

Izzie and Alex couldn't believe it. They had found their perfect house.

"It is absolutely perfect! It's amazing!"

The chalet was much like the Inn. The styles of decoration had been very similar and the construction of the small building resembled the larger building in many ways. Izzie fell in love.

On the main floor, there was a kitchen, dining room, living room, a half-bath and small bedroom, which would be used as the guest room. Upstairs there was a small family room, an office/extra bedroom, the master bedroom and the master bathroom. There was also a basement that could be used as storage or if renovated, could be extra rooms or a bigger family room.

But what blew Izzie away was the yard space they would have and the view. They were less than a quarter of a mile from the water, and everything between the lake and the chalet came with the house. She could sit out on the swinging chair on the deck in the evenings and watch the sun set over Seattle. It may be a little farther from town then they had wanted, but they couldn't argue with what they got.

"I have to admit, it's incredible," Alex joined in Izzie's enthusiasm.

"So would you guys be interested in seeing a sales contract?"

Izzie looked over at her husband who grabbed her hand and smiled. Izzie looked at Mike and nodded her head.

"How long before we can move in?" she asked as she was signing her name before passing it to Alex for his signature.

"Well, after you make the deposit, it's all yours. You could move in today if you'd like."

Izzie looked at Alex who nodded.

"There is already some furniture that you can use, but all I ask is that if you don't use it, you let us know and we'll keep it for the Inn. You may want to replace some of it since they are getting pretty old."

"Alex, if we move in today, I'll be closer to the Inn. I can work on the wedding whenever I need to."

Alex laughed. "But don't you think Meredith will want to come see it once we've announced we're moving out? We don't want to bring her here before the wedding. She'll need to pass the Inn to get here."

"Actually, you have your own private driveway so you don't need to walk down here from the Inn. This chalet is pretty hidden from the Inn, so it's not very noticeable," Mike informed them.

"Besides, if Meredith asks to come over, we'll tell her we'll invite her over when we've moved in completely, which will just happen to be after the wedding." Izzie was really getting excited at the thought of moving.

"Let's go pack," Alex said, trying to hide the excitement from his voice.

Izzie jumped into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Our home," she said.

"Our home," Alex repeated as he grabbed her hand and walked back up towards where their car was parked.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Meredith had been pulled into surgery and Stephanie had been sad to see her go. But before she left, she had promised she'd come back and see her. Her surgery had taken almost three hours and as she was scrubbing out, she only thought of her little patient.

She had never been this connected to a patient. Why did this little one seem to have such an impact on her? She headed up the stairs and was delighted to see Stephanie's face light up when she walked into the room.

"Dr Meredith! I thought you'd never come back!" she sat up in her bed.

"Well I'm here and it seems I came just in time for supper!" She pretended to be stealing her patients food as the little girl giggled.

"That's mine!"

She put it back down as Stephanie grabbed a hold of it and started to eat. The food didn't seem to have been touched previously, so it looked like her patient hadn't eaten until she had gotten here. And it was getting close to six o'clock which was definitely past her supper time.

"Dr Grey," she turned towards the voice coming from the doorway. She saw Arizona stare at the little girl eating.

"Could I speak to you in the hall?" Meredith nodded and got up from the bed.

"How did you get her to eat?" Arizona asked.

"I just came in and threatened to eat it. She didn't seem to hesitate in eating."

Arizona shook her head. "We've been trying to get her to eat for the past hour."

"I swear, I didn't do anything."

Arizona smiled. "I think she's just found her new best friend."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

It was getting close to nine o'clock when Izzie and Alex had finished packing.

"I'm going to call Mike, let him know we're only coming out tomorrow," Izzie decided as she crashed on the bed.

"Okay, but you'll have to bring it all out on your own then. I have work at seven."

Izzie nodded. "That's alright. I'll head to the bank tomorrow for the money than head over to the Inn with a few boxes of things we need, work on the wedding plans and then come back tomorrow night when you're off to get the rest of the stuff."

"Sounds like a plan," Alex said as he leaned over and kissed her.

"Why did we give up Alex," she asked, her eyes suddenly becoming serious.

"I don't know Iz. I guess we just didn't realize we couldn't live without each other."

Alex wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. "But I'll never make the same mistake twice."

**Okay sorry for the wait. I meant to update it earlier, but with exams and end of the year stuff, I guess time just escaped me. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you guys that I have absolutely fallen in love with my very own character, little Stephanie and that she is nowhere near leaving my fic. Also, for those who are waiting for the wedding, I promise it's coming soon. I've already written the chapters and you guys are in for a surprise! AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW !**

**Enjoy !**


	16. Like looking in a mirror

Meredith fell asleep on the couch in Stephanie's room. She had checked up on her other patients after Stephanie finished eating and when she got back, she found her fast asleep with a drawing laying out beside her. On the drawing she had drawn her and a doctor in blue scrubs on which she wrote _To doctor Meredith. _The two people were holding hands.

Meredith knew she wasn't supposed to get attached to patients but this little girl had stolen her heart. She didn't have anyone else right now, and she needed someone. And Meredith needed someone to lighten her days. This little girl had done wonders on her.

She woke up to the sound of the little girl's voice.

"Meredith, wake up."

She got up and looked at the small figure lying in the bed.

"What's wrong sweetheart?"

"I had a nightmare." Even in the very poor lighting, Meredith saw a tear slide down her face. She got up from her seat on the couch and went and sat on the bed. Stephanie crawled over to her and cuddled in her lap. Meredith stroked her hair.

"Do you want to tell me about it?"

She nodded and went on telling Meredith about the monster that chased her down and ate her mommy. The monster then crushed her house and her school and she didn't know where to go so she ended up in the hospital where Dr Meredith took care of her and protected her from the monster. But then the monster came and ate Dr Meredith and her baby and she was alone again.

"When I used to have nightmares, my daddy would sing me to sleep. It used to always sooth me." It wasn't Thatcher Meredith was referring to when she said this. Meredith tried to imagine Thatcher singing to her, but she knew her actually father would have never done that. It was the nights she spent sleeping in one of the on-call rooms that she had the most nightmares. Richard would cradle her in his arms and sing to her. He had been more of a father then Thatcher from the beginning.

"Can you sing?" Stephanie asked.

"Not really, but I can try." The first song she thought of was her favorite childhood song. When she had been a little girl, her mom's favorite babysitter was the TV and she remembered watching the Wizard of Oz every morning for almost an entire year.

_Somewhere over the rainbow _

_Way up high, _

_There's a land that I heard of _

_Once in a lullaby._

Meredith hadn't made it through the first verse before Stephanie was asleep.

"Goodnight sweetheart," she said as she kissed her forehead.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Derek's patient woke up near midnight. Her eyes fluttered open and Derek sighed in relief as he remembered the little girl whose mother this was.

"Good to see you awake Mrs. Baker," Derek said as her eyes opened completely.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice a little groggy.

"You were in a car accident earlier today. You suffered from a fracture to the skull and there was a lot of bleeding and swelling in your brain, but we managed to get you all cleared up."

"Were you the doctor that operated on me?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm Dr Derek Shepherd."

"Well, call me Catherine, Dr Shepherd." Derek smiled. It wasn't often that patients having just been in surgery were this comfortable with their doctors. Her smiled vanished and a look of panic spread across her face.

"Oh my God, Stephanie! Where's my daughter? Is she okay?"

"Your daughter is on the pediatric floor and other than a few bumps and bruises, she's okay. She's got a good doctor watching out for her."

Catherine let out a breath as Derek assured her that her daughter was fine.

"She gets scared when she's left alone. We just moved to Seattle. She still doesn't know this place."

"I can assure you that she has not been alone much. She's found a new best friend."

Catherine gave him a questioning look. "A new best friend?"

Derek laughed. "Her doctor, Dr Meredith Grey has been watching out for her as if she were her own child. She's got a great heart and wouldn't have been able to leave a child all alone in the hospital."

"Good. My daughter is all I have left."

"May I ask, why didn't her father come when we called him today?"

Catherine sighed. "This morning, he told me about how he was seeing another woman and he didn't want anything to have to do with me or Stephanie. He left the divorce sheets on the counter and walked out."

Derek thought about how Meredith was about the little girl's age when her father walked out on her. _How ironic,_ he thought.

"When will I get to see her?"

Derek smiled. "I'll go see if she's awake right now, and if she is, we'll sneak her up here."

Catherine thanked him before he went out of the door.

"Oh, this isn't the last you'll see of me."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Mark was lying wide awake in his bed, Lexie beside him. Thinking she was asleep, he slipped out of bed and headed in to the bathroom. He pulled out his phone and dialed the one number that popped into his mind.

"Hello?" the sleepy voice on the other end of the line answered.

"Nat, it's Mark."

"Mark! Do you know what time it is? Why the hell are you calling at six o'clock in the morning?"

"Actually, it's three o'clock for me."

"Not the point," she answered, her voice still angry at him.

"You're a doctor, you should be getting up around this time anyway."

"It's my day off."

"Oh," Mark felt sort of bad now. But not bad enough to let his little sis go back to sleep.

"Why are you calling?"

"I needed you to tell me that I'm not going crazy."

"What the hell are you talking about Mark?"

"I'm falling in love. Mark Sloan does not fall in love. But I am. Tell me I'm not crazy. Tell me even Mark Sloan falls in love."

He heard a giggle at the other end of the line. "Mark, everyone can fall in love. Even man whores like you. Is that the only reason you're calling?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well in that case goodnight," Natalie said with a huff.

"Um Nat, I believe that's good morning to you."

She grunted, "I hate you Mark Sloan."

"I know."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek headed down to room 187, where he knew he'd find not only his patients daughter, but also his wife. He just didn't expect to find them both lying on the bed.

He watched Meredith stroke the young girl's hair and he felt tears prick his eyes. She was going to make an amazing mother. The mother of his child. No, children. He opened the door as quietly as possible, but had been unsuccessful. Stephanie opened her eyes.

"What?" she jumped a little.

"Great job Derek. She just fell asleep." Meredith shook her head.

"Her mom's awake."

Meredith smiled and looked down to her patient who was still lying in her lap.

"Do you want to go see your mommy?"

Stephanie's eyes brightened as she nodded.

"Okay, but you'll have to be very quiet because we don't want to wake anybody up."

She nodded once again as she jumped off the bed followed by Meredith. As they walked out into the hallway, she grabbed Meredith's hand.

They entered Catherine's room just as Derek's pager went off.

"I've got to take this," he said as he waved and rushed out the door.

"Mommy!" Stephanie exclaimed as she jumped up on her mother's bed.

"Hey sweetie," she said as she kissed her forehead. "How are you feeling?"

"I was feeling all sad and lonely, but Dr Meredith played with me and talked to me. She made sure I was never lonely."

"I can leave if you'd like," Meredith said.

"No, you can stay. Stephie here will have to head back up to her room soon anyway." She paused and looked Meredith straight in the eye. "I don't know how to thank you enough. You and Dr Shepherd both."

"It's our jobs," Meredith shrugged.

"Maybe it was Dr Shepherd's job to save my life, but it definitely wasn't your job to watch my little girl. That's what the nurses do."

"Doctors can do it too," Meredith tried arguing.

"Don't play this game with me," Catherine laughed. "I was a nurse before I moved to Seattle last month."

"Oh."

"I'm Catherine, by the way," she held out her hand.

"I'm Meredith."

Stephanie had fallen asleep on her mother's bed.

"Dr Shepherd was right, my daughter does look like you."

Meredith didn't know how to answer.

"I know this is none of my business, but I was wondering why her father never came by," Meredith asked, trying to change the subject.

Catherine explained the entire story again, but this time from when she had decided to move to Seattle. Meredith nodded but didn't realize she was crying until Catherine pointed it out.

"I'm sorry." Meredith wiped away her tears.

"Was it something I said?" Catherine asked.

"Not really. More the entire story." Meredith giggled before she explained her situation with her father and how he had left when Meredith was about Stephanie's age.

"Looks like Stephanie knows how to make friends who live like her," Catherine said with a laugh. "She's always been the type of person to find people that were so much like her."

Meredith nodded.

"I hope you don't mind me asking a favor. I know you're a very busy person and all, but I know that this isn't close to being the end of my stay at the hospital. I've spent enough time in them to know that a brain injury takes a long time to recover from. But I have no one here in Seattle, that I know of, and no one that would come this far to watch Stephanie. Could you maybe keep an eye out for her?"

Meredith smiled. "Of course. Anytime."

The three of them stayed in the room a little while longer until Derek came back and informed them that their patients needed to go back to sleep. Meredith scooped Stephanie in her arms and promised Catherine the two of them would be back the next day.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Izzie awoke early, even before Alex's alarm went off. Today was moving day. She would definitely miss having all these people around, but soon enough, everyone would be gone anyway, and she didn't feel like being stuck with over-happy Meredith and Derek, so she was glad she was getting out.

She stayed lying in bed staring at the ceiling until the alarm went off. Alex reached over, shut it off, then kissed Izzie on the lips.

"We're moving today," he said with a smile.

"We are," Izzie said as she jumped out of bed.

"I'm off work at seven thirty. I'm going into work with Jackson this morning, so could you pick me up tonight? Maybe we could head out to Joe's to celebrate our new life together?"

Izzie smiled as she rushed down the stairs.

"Sounds good!"

She entered the kitchen and the first thing she noticed wasn't the person sitting at the table. It was the new stove that had been put in.

"Mark put it in last night," she heard the voice at the table say.

She turned around to see Lexie.

"What are you doing here so early?"

"Needed to talk to Meredith, so I'm waiting until she gets here. I know she isn't off until around lunchtime, but I don't feel like going to the hospital on my day off. My stupid sick day turned my schedule upside down and I have a forty-eight hour shift starting tonight. I don't want to spend an extra twelve hours there."

Izzie smiled at her. "How would you like to help me move then?"

Lexie put down her coffee.

"You found a house that fast?"

"Yup, and it's also going to be our new wedding planning HQ."

"What's wrong with Mark's?"

"It's not what's wrong with Mark's. It's what's better about our new place. You in?"

Lexie nodded. "Definitely."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Meredith awoke for the second time in Stephanie's room. It was about six o'clock and the little girl was still asleep. Meredith checked her vitals and noted that everything looked good and that they'd have to release her today. The question was, where was she going to stay until her mother was released?

Meredith decided that when she went to visit Catherine when Stephanie woke up, she'd suggest her idea. She wasn't sure that her mother would approve, but she could at least give it a try.

"Meredith, why are you up so early?" she heard the little voice.

"Oh you're awake. I should be asking you the same question."

"Well my answer is easy. It's Friday, which means I'm supposed to go to school. And I need to get up early so I'm not late. Your turn."

"Well, I work early, and I needed to make sure that you were okay before I went and checked on my other patients."

Stephanie nodded, accepting her answer.

"Will you come back after you check on your other patients?" she asked, a glimmer in her eye.

"Yes, and then we'll go see your mommy before she goes to get checked up on."

The little girl smiled and nodded.

"I'll be back soon."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Cristina woke up in Jackson's arms. She smiled as she remembered the night before. It had been perfect.

She tried getting up, but her muscles screamed in pain so she gave up and dropped back on the bed.

"What was that?" Jackson asked as he jumped out of his sleep.

"Nothing," Cristina giggled. "Just trying to get up, but I'm so sore that I can't."

Jackson chuckled and kissed Cristina passionately, which left the both of them breathless.

"Last night was amazing," Cristina whispered as Jackson wrapped his arms around her.

"Yeah, it was. I can't wait until my apartment is repaired so I don't have to worry about waking the others in the house," Jackson said.

It was then that it hit Cristina. "Crap! I'm supposed to be looking for an apartment. I told Meredith I was looking."

"Well, I'm looking for a roommate," Jackson said with a devilish smile. "She has to meet my standards, and you're the only one who passes. The offer is there."

Cristina smiled. "I'll think about it."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After having checked up on all of her other patients, Meredith headed back to Stephanie's room to take her up to see her mom. But when she reached the door, she heard a muffled voice through the door. It was a man.

Was Catherine wrong about Stephanie's father not wanting to see them? Was that him in the room? But somebody would have told her he was here, right?

Meredith decided she needed to go in and find out who this guy was. But she was surprised at the person who was currently sprawled on the floor with her patient.

"Derek? What are you doing here?"

He looked up from the floor as Stephanie scrambled to put all her pencils and coloring papers in her kit bag.

"I came down to tell you and Stephanie that her mommy was awake and that she was asking for both of you. But when Stephanie told me you had gone on rounds, I decided I'd wait with her for you."

Meredith smiled as Stephanie got up from the floor and walked over to them, grabbing Meredith's hand.

"Let's go," Meredith whispered with a smile and they headed back up to room 459.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"This place is incredible Izzie!" Lexie exclaimed as Izzie turned the key into the knob, the key that now belonged to her.

"Wait until you see the inside."

Lexie gasped at the beauty of the chalet, not even comparing to Izzie's descriptions. "It's like your own miniature version of the Inn!"

"Check out the view." She brought her out to the patio door and onto the deck where you could see the lake.

"Wow, I might end up buying one of these places."

"There are more, and we could always use some neighbor's."

"Do you think Mark would move out here?" she asked, wondering if he'd ever give up his small apartment.

"If you did, he wouldn't have a choice. He can't live without you Lex, no matter how hard you guys would both try. He'd follow you to Japan if he had to."

Lexie laughed.

"Men. Can't live with them, can't live without them."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Jackson entered the elevator, heading to the locker rooms. Cristina was working later on, and was supposed to be on-call, so Jackson was planning on going to the meeting for the wedding alone tonight. Alex had informed him on the way to the hospital that he and Izzie had bought one of the chalets and that it would be used as wedding planning HQ. He then told him about how Izzie was having a meeting that night to go over last minute details.

The wedding was on the 27th. Today was the 23rd. _Four days, _he thought just as the elevator doors opened and two very familiar people walked in. But the little girl who accompanied them left him puzzled.

She was the miniature version of Meredith. The exact replica. But this little girl was too old to be her daughter. Unless…

_No,_ he thought. _It's just a coincidence._

"I thought the same thing, trust me," he heard the voice beside him say.

"What?" Jackson looked at Derek.

"I was sure Meredith was keeping a big secret from me when I saw her with that little girl yesterday. I could tell by the way you looked at her with that expression. I'm sure my expression hadn't been any different." Derek laughed.

"Who is she then?"

"She's my patients daughter. The two of them were in a car accident yesterday. Her mother suffered from a fracture to the skull, so Meredith is watching out for the little girl. I think Cristina may be jealous that she has found a new best friend."

The two men laughed. Jackson walked over to the little girl.

"Hello there. I'm Jackson. What's your name?"

The little girl smiled at him. "Stephanie. And this is Dr Meredith." She pointed to Mer.

Jackson laughed. "I know. She's my big sister."

Stephanie's eyes darted from Jackson to Meredith. She nodded as if to confirm that this were true.

"I wish I had a little brother."

The elevator doors opened and the group of them got off.

Meredith and Stephanie headed for Catherine's room as Derek headed to check on another patient. He had another surgery scheduled for that afternoon, and even though he was supposed to be off at one, an hour after Meredith's shift ended, he couldn't pass up the opportunity of a surgery. They didn't come very often now that he was chief, and two days in a row was a very rare. He had a feeling he wouldn't have another chance at a surgery until he got back from New York, so he took advantage.

As the two girls entered Catherine's room, the patient looked up from her bed with a smile on her face. Stephanie repeated her action from the night before and hoped onto the bed with her mother. Meredith took a seat in the chair beside the bed.

"We're releasing her today," Meredith said as Catherine nodded. "We can set up a cot in here for her if you'd like."

Catherine sighed but agreed. "I guess I have no choice. I hate to have to see her stuck in this place though."

Meredith nodded. "I know how it feels. I was raised in these halls. My mother was an amazing surgeon and never left the hospital. It can suck for a kid to have to live that."

"I wish I knew someone around here that would watch her," Catherine sighed as she watched her daughter drift off to sleep again.

Meredith thought this would be the perfect opportunity for her suggestion.

"You know, I'm off this afternoon and don't have much to do. I can get her out of this hospital for a few hours and bring her back before tonight, if you'd like."

Catherine's eyes lit up.

"You'd do that? For a complete stranger?"

Meredith nodded. "It feels like I've known you for much longer than I actually have. Besides, it's great having someone to boost my spirit up these days."

Catherine gave her a sympathetic look. "Not having a good time? I know the feeling. Life can really suck sometimes."

Meredith nodded.

"Well if ever you just want someone to talk to, I'm here. I don't have much else to do anyway," she giggled. "And I can't thank you enough for taking Stephanie under your wing. I wish I had someone like you a long time ago."

"Well I'm glad I can help. I've felt pretty helpless lately and now I can finally feel like someone is getting something out of me." She paused. "If that doesn't make sense in your mind, don't be alarmed. I rarely make sense." The two of them laughed.

"I'm the same way, so I understood. But I still don't know how I'll ever make it up to you."

"You don't need to do a thing. Just make sure you never treat your little girl like my mother treated me. Her life seems to already be too much like mine. She needs a good mother, and you seem to be perfect for the job." Meredith paused. "Speaking of jobs, there are a few openings for nurses in general and in peds. And probably one for a scrub nurse soon too. When you're feeling better, maybe you could look into applying. I've talked to the chief about it, Dr Shepherd, and he's up for the idea. Think about it."

Catherine thanked her over and over again.

"Oh and speaking of Dr Shepherd, he seems to be quite the guy. But a guy like that must already be married." Catherine paused when she took in the expression on Meredith's face. She then realized that she was talking about this with one of his coworkers. "Oh right, you work for him. That must be awkward, working for such a hot guy. You guys must all want a piece of him."

Meredith went red and her eyes grew five times bigger. Catherine laughed at her expression.

"He must leave a lot of doctors speechless."

"Um, I…I…" Just then, Meredith's pager went off. "I have to go, but I'll be back to get Stephanie when you go in for your check-ups. Get your doctor to page me."

Catherine was still giggling about Meredith's reaction. "Will do."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

On the way to work, Mark had stopped at a jeweler's. He was going to do this. He was going to confess his love to Lexie, on one knee, and ask her to be his forever, but he just didn't know how.

The ring sat in the pocket of his scrubs. He was immediately reminded of the weeks Derek spent with the ring in his pocket and how that had turned out. He never did propose the way he had planned it. But Mark wouldn't make the same mistake. He was going to do it soon.

He knew that he and Lexie were forever. He didn't have a doubt in his mind that he would ever love someone as much as he loved Lexie. She was his everything. But the ring in his pocket put a weight on his shoulders he never thought he'd possibly be able to bear alone.

He made his way to Derek's office where he was glad to note that he was sitting there alone, doing paper work. He entered without knocking.

"Derek, am I glad to see you!"

"What's got you in a rut?" He noted the nervous expression on his face. "Is someone dying?"

Mark shook his head and pulled the velvet box out of his pocket.

"Oh Mark! You're actually going to do it?" He got up from his seat behind his desk and gave him a great big hug. "I'm so proud of you."

"Derek, I'm ready. For the entire thing. The family, the house, the life awaiting me. There's not a doubt in my mind that I'm ready. But do you think Lexie is?"

Derek shrugged. "I don't know, but if you let me, I can talk to Meredith. She might know more than me."

Mark nodded. "But Derek, make her promise that she won't tell a soul. I don't want someone else to tell her."

Derek remembered how he found out Meredith knew about the ring. Richard had told her. He didn't want Mark's surprise to be ruined too.

"I'll make her pinky swear."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

After leaving his office to Mark and his thoughts, Derek headed to his new favorite patient to tell her it was time for her scans. He wasn't surprised to find her with her daughter.

"Dr Shepherd," she greeted him as he walked in.

"Dr Derek!" Stephanie exclaimed.

"Hello there ladies," he said as he approached the bed.

" Mered… I mean Dr Grey asked me to tell you to page her to get Stephanie."

"Already here," they heard her from the doorway. She was already in her street clothes. "Nobody needs me here so I'm headed off early. Stephanie, how would you like to get out of this icky hospital?"

She jumped off the bed after giving her mommy a kiss and saying goodbye. She grabbed Meredith's hand and the two of them left.

"So," Catherine started, "I've noticed that the doctors around here are quite impressed by you."

Derek laughed. "Oh yeah, and how so?"

"Well, you must know that you're quite attractive, you're a brain surgeon and you seem to be nice guy. Brains, beauty and a heart. Which girl wouldn't be blown away?"

Derek continued to laugh. "And these doctors that I impress, what makes you think like that?"

Catherine smiled. "Well when I mentioned how you seemed to be the perfect guy, Dr Grey seemed to have quite a reaction. But I also said that a guy like you must be married. She didn't answer." She looked at his hand. "No ring?"

Derek looked as his hand. "I guess not." He looked back at Catherine. "But that doesn't mean I'm not married. People can't jump to conclusions just because I don't have a piece of jewelry around my finger."

"So you are married!" she exclaimed. "Do people around here know that, even if you aren't wearing a ring? Because I think there are some doctors who still like you."

"Oh yeah? And who do you think that would be?"

Catherine smiled. "Meredith Grey."

Derek nodded._ Well I hope so_. _Should_ _I tell her the truth?_ He decided it could be fun to play along. "And did she tell you this? Were you supposed to keep that a secret?"

Catherine shrugged. "I don't know. But I am a nurse. And I heard that the nurses here are known for their gossip. I should start practicing if I want to get a job here."

Derek laughed. "In that case, I'll add to your gossip mill. I know for a fact that Dr Grey has had a crush on me since the day I started."

"Ah ha! I knew it!" Derek wheeled her out of the room to bring her for her scans. They got on to an elevator and Derek noticed the only other person on it. "Does your wife know that there's a doctor here that likes you?" Catherine continued.

Richard gave Derek a puzzled look.

"Catherine, meet Dr Richard Webber." He nodded his head at the patient as she smiled at him. "Catherine was just telling me how she thinks Dr Grey has a crush on me and that I should inform my wife that there's a hospital resident that she may need to fight off."

Richard gave him a puzzled look. Then he caught on. He laughed.

"What's so funny?" Catherine asked.

"Oh it's nothing," Derek shrugged. "Inside joke."

Catherine huffed as they got off of the elevator. Derek did her scans without any more discussion about his wife. He noticed no abnormalities on her scans, but the swelling still needed to go down more before he could release her.

He brought her back to her room and thought it was time he let her in on the joke.

"So I heard that Dr Grey has accepted to watch out for your daughter."

Catherine nodded with a smile. "She's been an amazing person. I can't thank her enough."

"Yeah, she's a pretty amazing woman."

"Don't talk like that. You can't make your wife jealous."

Derek smiled. "My wife wouldn't mind that I just called her an amazing person."

"But you said… no, it can't be…"

Derek nodded.

Catherine gasped.

"What!"

"We've been married for almost a year now." Derek laughed at the expression on her patients face. "I've got to say, you're pretty good at reading people. Guessing she liked me must have been a challenge. But I was glad to hear it."

"You mean, all this time, I've been blabbing about how Meredith liked you and your wife should watch out, but in the end…"

"They're the same person." Derek smiled.

"In that case, you're a mean mean person. How could you keep me hanging like that? Why didn't you get me to shut up at the beginning?"

"Because I needed a good laugh. Don't worry, I won't hold it against you."

Catherine glared at him, but had a hard time hiding her smile. "But I might."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Meredith and Stephanie arrived at the house just as Cristina was leaving to head off to work.

"Mer, why is there a miniature version of you standing just feet away? I thought your baby wasn't due for another 7 months or so. How did it grow so fast?"

"Cris, this is Stephanie. She's Derek's patient's daughter. She doesn't have anybody to watch out for her right now, so I volunteered to take her under my wing."

"In that case, I'll have to be nice. I'm scrubbing in on Derek's surgery this afternoon and I don't want to end up kicked off because I was mean to his wife's mini-me."

Meredith laughed. "Get lost Cristina."

Cristina waved and headed off to her car as Meredith and Stephanie went into the house.

"Are you hungry? It's getting close to lunchtime."

Stephanie nodded.

"Do you like grilled cheese sandwiches?" Meredith didn't know how to make much of anything else and it didn't look like Izzie was around.

Stephanie licked her lips and nodded with a smile.

"Good." She pulled the ingredients out of the fridge. When she started buttering the bread, she noticed that the little girl wasn't talking much.

"You're awfully quiet. What's wrong?"

Stephanie looked down. Meredith walked over to her and spun her around so she was looking at her.

"When my mommy gets better, will I see you again?" A tear fell down her face.

Meredith was crushed at this little girl's statement.

"Of course you will! Anytime you want, you can call me and I'll come and see you as fast as possible."

She nodded and wrapped her little arms around Meredith's neck.

"I hope that your baby loves you as much as I love you and my mommy."

Meredith felt her own tears slide down her face as the little girl gave her a kiss on the cheek.

She was going to have her own little child soon. Her own little Stephanie. She and Derek would be blessed with a child in less than a year.

Just then, the sound of her phone ringing brought her out of her thoughts. She recognized the hospital number on her caller ID.

"Hello?" she asked, expecting someone from the hospital to be at the other end.

"Meredith, Derek gave me your number. Or should I say your _husband_ gave me your number. You should have told me you guys were married before I made a fool of myself! I'm sorry for dropping all those comments!"

Meredith laughed. "Catherine, calm down. I just didn't know how to react. You were asking me if my husband was married. Of course it took me a while to react."

"Yeah, well because of you not telling me, I made a fool of myself in front of him."

"What did you do? Ask him out?"

"No I told him that I thought you liked him. He went along with it and confirmed that he knew you had a crush on him since his first day. I told him to tell his wife to watch out for you. It had been a good hour before he told me the truth."

Meredith giggled. "Well that's what you get for sharing my secrets."

"Well Derek is telling me I need to hang up now. Tell Stephanie I love her."

"Will do. Bye. Oh and ask my _husband_ to be nice to you." Meredith continued to laugh.

"Shut up."

Meredith hung up and noticed that Stephanie had finished her lunch.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

"Oh your mommy found out something after she made a fool out of herself."

Stephanie cocked her head and Meredith giggled at her reaction. "Did you tell her about the baby?"

Meredith smiled but shook her head. "No, she's got enough to take in for today."

**Okay I apologize again for long wait, but it's summer and there seems to be very little free time. I also want to mention that there are some minor details in this story that aren't quite the same as the show. It's hard to get everything right. This was mostly just an introductory chapter for two of my new favorite characters who will be staying and who will also be very important in the future of this story.**

**And now, the long awaited wedding starts next !**

**.Enjoy !**


	17. Introductions

"Have you seen my hairbrush?" Meredith asked.

"Already packed it," Derek answered from the bathroom where he was assembling shampoos, conditioners and hair products. Meredith had been pulled into an emergency surgery that afternoon and Derek had put himself in charge of packing since he had been off since early that morning. He was officially on vacation.

Meredith walked into the bathroom to grab her toothbrush and toothpaste, but she realized they were missing.

"That too," Derek said as he kissed her on the forehead.

They both walked back to their room and continued the packing process. Meredith ran into a pack of tampons and laughed. "Won't need these." She tossed them aside.

"I can't believe we're going to be seeing my family tomorrow. It's been so long."

Meredith wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "You know, you shouldn't have waited this long."

Derek nodded. "But I finally am, and I can't wait to show you off." He kissed her deeply and when he pulled away, he lifted her in his arms and cradled her like a baby. "I love you."

Meredith giggled. "I love you too."

They stayed like that for several minutes until Meredith's phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Mer!" she heard her person on the other end of the line. "I'm moving out!"

"You found yourself an apartment?"

"Sort of. I'm moving in with Jackson."

"Wow, Cris, that's awesome. But just to tell you, Jackson is living under the same roof as the rest of us."

"They called him today. His apartment is all fixed up and he can move back in tomorrow. Crap. That's my pager. I got to go."

Meredith heard the dial tone before she had a chance to say bye. Her eyes then lit up as she calculated in her head.

"Lexie's living with Mark, Izzie and Alex have moved out, Jackson's apartment is ready for him to move back in and Cristina is moving in with him. That's five Derek. All five of them are gone."

"That just leaves us and our noise," he kissed her and dragged her over to the bed.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Meanwhile, half of the crew had assembled at the Inn to go over final preparations. They had a rehearsal earlier that day, but since they were missing two key people, they got Alex and Mike to be the bride and groom. It had been a sight to see.

Mark had left to pick up the Shepherd's and show them to the Inn. Lexie and Molly were going over last minute preparations. Alex and the three Harrington brothers were setting up tables and taking charge of all the indoor stuff. Izzie, along with making sure everything was in order, was helping Shawn in the kitchen.

"I can't believe it's already here," Izzie exclaimed.

"It's crazy how fast the time has flown by," Shawn replied. " It feels like we've organized a wedding in two weeks."

"That's because we have," Alex said as he walked in, followed by Mike. "We're here to help in the kitchen. Sam and Noah have everything under control in the hall. We thought you guys may need some extra hands."

Izzie nodded and got Mike to help her with the cake and the baked goods. She put Alex in charge of cutting vegetables, afraid that if he got too close to the actual cooking process, he'd ruin everything.

"Do you think this will be a success?" Mike asked, knowing how much work everyone had put into preparing for the wedding.

"I sure hope so," Izzie answered. Just then, the kitchen door opened.

"Where can we help?" Teddy and Arizona stood in the doorway.

After Mark and Lexie had told them about the wedding, Teddy felt like this would be a great way to finish of her days in Seattle. She and Owen had gotten their farewells the night before at the hospital and they had two days off before they headed to Iraq. She couldn't wait to spend those days with the people she had learned to like in her stay in Seattle.

Izzie instructed them to go out and help Lexie and Molly. They headed through the door and found the two Grey sisters outside, not doing much. With them was a person that neither one of them recognized.

"We heard you guys may need help?" Arizona said as she approached.

"Not really," Lexie answered, noting there wasn't much left to do. "Oh and I'd like to introduce you to Sienna Grey-Livingston. She's a Grey cousin."

"Okay, it started off with two, then three. Now four crazy Grey women?"

Sienna laughed. "And from the sounds of it, I'm just about as crazy as it gets."

Just then a little boy and what Teddy had guessed was his father came running out of the Inn.

"Mommy!" the little boy exclaimed as he ran up to Sienna.

"This is my son Cody and my husband James. We arrived here about an hour ago."

"So did Lexie tell you about the wedding?" Arizona asked.

"Actually no. We've only met once before and that was back when we were kids." Sienna explained the call she had made the week before when she finally found some of Meredith's contact info. She went on with telling them the entire story.

"So you haven't seen her since you were five?"

Sienna nodded. "I can't wait to see her, and this infamous husband of hers."

They all laughed. "Well you'll get to see them tomorrow. They still have no idea of what's going on."

"I wish I was this good with secrets."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Mark was waiting excitedly in the airport for the arrival of the people he called family. Carolyn, Natalie, Amy and their families were scheduled to be landing at ten after six. Kathleen, Nancy and their families were only arriving at nine, and since Nancy's husband Stanley was from Seattle, he had told them that he'd be able to find his way to the Inn. The other Shepherds and some of Carolyn's family were only coming in time for the reception the next night. They decided the wedding would be better if only the immediate family and their close friends were there. But the Shepherd's loved to party so they agreed in coming to the dance after the supper.

Mark still couldn't believe they had pulled this off. But he couldn't say anything too soon. For all he knew, something would happen the next day and all their hard work would have been a waste. But the sound of familiar voices dismissed his negative thoughts.

"Markie!" he heard the two Shepherd sisters call out. They rushed over to him and he took both of them into a great big hug.

"We've missed you!" Natalie said as she let go. Soon enough, their husbands and children came out of the terminal and Mark greeted all of his nephews and nieces, along with his brothers-in-law, Cory and Julian. He then noticed someone was missing.

"Where's mom?" he asked.

"I may be slower than the rest of them, but I'm here." She gave Mark a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Okay then, well now that everyone is here, we can head over to the Inn, you guys can settle in and then I'll introduce you to everyone else. Nat, Amy, your rentals are waiting up front. Mom, you can come with me if you'd like."

"Of course! I need to find out how things are going on in your life too. I'm not only here to see my son get married. I'm here to make sure you're making the right decisions in your life too."

When they were seated in the car and leaving the parking lot, Mark thought about talking to his "mom" about all the plans they had for this wedding the next day. He loved her to death, but he really didn't want to talk about everything in his life just yet. Besides, she was here mostly for Derek and his wedding, and Mark didn't want to be in the limelight before her actual son. But he didn't get the chance to avoid the subject.

"What's that?" Carolyn pointed to the velvet box sitting on the console in his car.

"Crap," Mark whispered under his breath. Carolyn's eyes lit up as it clicked in.

"Mark Sloan is finally going to settle down?"

"Okay, remember, this week is about Derek. Not me. You can be all happy for me after the wedding. Right now, it's about Derek and Meredith."

Carolyn nodded but the huge grin on her face still made Mark smile. "She's perfect mom. And you always thought Derek and I would eventually date sisters. But who thought we'd end up marrying sisters? How will we explain this one to the next generation?"

Carolyn laughed. "Love has no boundaries. That's what you'll tell them. Oh and Mark, can you promise me one thing?"

"Anything."

"Will you do it before we leave?"

Mark sat there, not wanting to break this promise. But that left him with less than a week to figure out the perfect proposal.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Richard had spent his day not only being the chief again, but making sure everything was in order when it came to schedules for the guests at the wedding. He would be the last one off tomorrow, him giving his position as chief to shadow Shepherd for the afternoon and evening as soon as he was off at eleven. The wedding was to start at one, so he would have enough time to get to the Inn and get ready. He wasn't going to be just another guest. He was walking his little girl down the aisle.

Callie and Jackson were scheduled to get off at the same time as him. Other than those who had already finished their shifts that day, there were Cristina and Addie who got off in a few hours and Miranda who was off the next morning at seven. They needed to keep the schedule somewhat in order so that Derek didn't get suspicious if he had noticed the changes. And he hadn't, so it seemed like they were succeeding in the secret keeping.

"Can you believe the wedding's tomorrow?" he heard the familiar voice ask as the elevator doors shut closed. He looked up and spotted Addie.

"I know. It seems like the time has flown by so fast."

"I still can't believe they managed to organize a wedding in so little time."

Richard looked Addie in the eye.

"How do you feel in all of this?" He worried that Addie felt hurt at the fact that her ex-husband was moving on.

"Honestly Richard, I expected to feel at least a little hurt. But I don't. I've accepted this completely and I've moved on, and I'm glad that Derek has too, especially with Meredith. I've gotten the chance to meet Rose, and if she would have been the one Derek was marrying, I would have been the first to object. She's not nice, not at all."

Richard laughed. Addie then continued. "But Meredith is perfect for Derek and even I see that. I know that she won't make the same mistake as I did. And I know he'll never walk out on her. There's not a doubt in my mind that this is it for the both of them. They're starting a family, and what better way than by celebrating their commitment to each other?"

Richard looked at Addie with an expression that was unreadable.

"What?" Addison asked.

"I just have one question. What did you do with the Addison Montgomery I knew?"

Addie slapped him across the arm and the two of them laughed.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After Derek and Meredith finished packing, Derek decided he'd call his mom. He knew that it was ten o'clock in New York, but his mom would probably still be up.

He called the home number, and when there was no answer, he thought about calling her cell, even though she hadn't answered her home phone. Maybe it meant she was sleeping? Unable to hide his excitement at seeing his mom, he called her cell anyway.

She answered on the second ring.

"Mom! It's me."

"Derek! I didn't think I'd be hearing from you tonight," she answered and Derek thought he heard nervousness in her voice.

"You don't want to hear from your only son?"

Carolyn sighed. "That's not what I meant honey. I just thought you'd be busy packing and you're not my only son. I've adopted Mark, remember?"

Just then, Derek heard a boom followed by the sound of a bunch of giggling kids. He heard a familiar voice complain.

"Is that Mark? It better not be."

"No, it's Cory and the kids." Carolyn answered quickly.

"I was going to say, Mark better not have gone up there early. He has our plane tickets."

"Don't worry. Mark isn't going anywhere without you."

He talked to his mom about how excited he was about seeing everyone for a few minutes, but Carolyn seemed to want to end the conversation quickly. She claimed she was tired and needed to rest for the big weekend. He took it as a reasonable response, but was still a little worried. He thought maybe a health problem, but he knew that she would have told him if she was seriously sick. He brushed it off and decided he'd inquire on it when he got to NY.

Derek said his goodbyes and after tossing his phone on the side table beside their bed, he crawled up towards his wife and pulled her into his lap. She smiled, but Derek saw through her expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," Meredith shook it off. Derek gave her an I-know-you're-lying look. "I'm nervous."

"About meeting the family?"

Meredith nodded while Derek pulled her deeper into his embrace. "Meredith, they are going to love you. My mom loved you and you had been acting… not like yourself all day. Amy is not much older than you and she just finished her residency, and you guys are much alike in different ways. Natalie likes everybody. Nancy, well Nancy is Nancy and she may not treat you with the most compassion, but she doesn't like me either, so don't feel bad. And Kathleen is the like the mother bear and takes everybody under her wing. She'll treat you like she treats the other sisters, and she'll have a great time recruiting another sister, just to outnumber me once again. Stop worrying." He kissed her on the head.

"It's just, I don't do families. Even now that I am a changed person, I still don't do families."

"Well that's going to be a problem since we're going to be a family in no time."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After Carolyn got off the phone with Derek, she took a look at the pile of people on the ground. Tessa Lucas and Benjamin, Natalie's oldest kids and Kayla, Amy's oldest, were piled high on top of their long lost uncle. Mark was pretending to eat them as they scurried off of him and around the room. Natalie's other two daughters, Laura and Ashley, were playing with their dolls on the bed with Alyssa, Amy's middle child. The adults, minus Mark who never really reached adulthood, were sitting at the table, Amy cradling Daniel, her eight month old son.

As the grandmother of all of these little kids, she knew how well they all got along. There wasn't very much difference in age between some of them, and since they spent a lot of time together, they were almost like best friends.

She joined the three girls on the bed.

"Are you guys excited for the wedding?"

The three flower girls nodded.

"Mommy said I get to wear a dress and throw flowers everywhere," Alyssa said excitedly.

"Me too!" Ashley then exclaimed.

"What about seeing Uncle Derek and meeting Aunt Meredith?"

The three girls nodded.

"I miss Uncle Derek." Laura would have been the only one old enough to remember her uncle the slightest bit. Ashley had just been born and Alyssa was just a baby.

"Yeah, me too," Carolyn answered.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Carolyn called as the door opened.

"Hi there. I'm Mike Harrington, co-owner of the Inn. It's nice to see that everyone is here."

The adults laughed. "Everyone? Are you kidding me? This is just half of us. And that's only the immediate family," Natalie said as the others nodded their heads.

"Oh, okay then. Wow."

They laughed at his reaction.

"Anyway, I was sent up to let you guys know there are some snacks and drinks in the hall for everyone."

Mark got up from the floor. "It's the perfect time to introduce you guys to everyone."

The entire clan left the room and headed towards the hall, led by Mike and Mark.

"They were serious about them only being half of the family, right?" Mike asked, a little unsure.

Mark laughed. "Yeah, they were serious. The kids just never stop coming."

When they reached the hall, Mark noted that everyone else seemed to already be there. Izzie came over to the group and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Izzie Stevens. I'm one of Meredith's friends and the one who kept everything under control in organizing this thing."

Mark started introducing the Shepherd clan, but gave up after three people. "I have a better idea. How about you guys mingle and make your own introductions."

The older kids headed off in search for food and the men found the other men sitting in a corner. Nat and Amy, along with Laura, Ashley and Alyssa headed over to where Mark was heading.

"Okay, this will be easier," Mark said as he reached the smaller Grey clan. "Greys, meet Shepherds."

They laughed. Sienna was the first one to approach. She introduced herself and explained her connection to the wedding.

"So in the end, I don't know very many people here either. Looks like I'll need to be doing this introducing myself a lot this weekend."

The Shepherd sister's nodded and agreed. "Same. I'm Natalie Shepherd-Jay. These are two of my daughters, Laura and Ashley."

"My name's Laura too," little Laura, Molly's daughter exclaimed.

The four little girls started chatting and headed over to where their other siblings were.

"I'm Molly Grey, Laura's mother," Molly introduced herself, following everyone else's lead.

"Well I guess it's my turn," Amy said with a laugh. "I'm Amy Corrigan and that was my daughter Alyssa who just ran off."

Natalie smiled as she realized there was only one person left. One Grey. "Let me guess. We're left with one Grey, and you're obviously not Meredith since she doesn't know a thing about this yet. You must be Lexie."

Lexie smiled and nodded. "That would be me. And I have no little person to introduce."

Natalie and Amy giggled. "Yet," Amy whispered. Lexie caught on to the small exchange, but noticed that Mark had not. Her face went red and when Natalie took in her expression, she butt in.

"Markie, why don't you go over with the guys, give us some time to bond with our new sister's family."

Mark nodded since he knew better than to say no to these girls. He was afraid for Lexie, because he knew what the Shepherd's could do. But the Grey's outnumbered them, so he felt a little more relieved.

"So you're the one Mark called me at six o'clock in the morning about," Natalie said with a laugh.

Lexie sighed in relief. "So he called you. I thought he was calling some other girlfriend of his or something. I actually didn't know what to think. He just got up out of bed and headed to the bathroom. All I heard was mumbling. I didn't say anything and pretended I was sleeping when he came back."

Natalie smiled. "No worries. He's only got you. Trust me."

Lexie smiled in relief. She hadn't known what to think. But Natalie assured her there was nothing to worry about. What better then one of Mark's sisters to tell her this?

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Cristina was pulling into the parking lot at the Inn when her phone started to ring.

"Cristina, it's Teddy. Are you at the Inn?"

"Yeah, just pulling in. What's up?"

"I need to talk to you. Meet me in the lobby?"

Cristina agreed and after parking the car, headed to the main door. Teddy was there to meet her.

"I needed to apologize for everything," Teddy said, disappointed in herself. "I didn't want to go off and probably never see you again without apologizing."

Cristina smiled. She had become good friends with her attending and after the incident with Owen, she didn't think Teddy would ever be able to face her. But she was glad she had. "Apology accepted."

Teddy smiled back and the two of them headed up to the hall.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After her daughters headed off with Mark, Carolyn decided to wander out for a walk. Her son was finally marrying the right person. Meredith seemed to make him the man she knew she had raised. He sounded so much happier when he called these past few months than he had in the last five years. She couldn't believe that she was going to be there when her son said those forever lasting words, 'I do.'

She had lost hope in seeing her son getting married again when she heard of the post-it wedding. Sure, it wasn't exactly what she considered a wedding, but if Derek and Meredith thought it would suffice, she would have accepted that. But when she got that phone call from Mark, her hopes came back. She was going to get to see her Derek happy again.

She sat down on a bench overlooking the harbor. The sun was setting and it looked like tomorrow would be a nice day. She saw the ferry boat in the distance and remembered Derek telling her about the ferry boats. They definitely lived up to his descriptions.

"It's not very often that Seattle is this beautiful." Carolyn knew that voice. She turned around and smiled when she saw the very familiar red head.

"What are you doing here?" Carolyn asked.

"Same reason as you. To watch Derek in his happiest moment." Carolyn looked her in the eye and saw nothing but truth and compassion. "I'm over him Carolyn. I have been for quite a while. And I've become very good friends with Meredith, so there's no need to worry about me getting in the way."

"I wasn't worried about you getting in the way," Carolyn answered honestly. "I was worried about you."

Addie smiled. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine with all of this, more fine then even I thought I would be. Derek and I are back to being the friends we were before we got married, and I think that when we were married, we were that couple who never really got along, we lost our friendship. Now we have that back and I haven't been happier. He has that friendship with Meredith along with their love for each other."

Carolyn nodded. "I don't know what's gotten into you, but you're not the Addie I remember."

Addison laughed. "I've gotten that a lot lately. I think LA has changed me."

"So are you still in LA?"

Addie shook her head. "Nope, I'm back in Seattle. I've got some very important patients to look after here so I don't think I'm leaving anytime soon." Addie regretted her comment about very important patients, and she just hoped that Carolyn wouldn't ask about it. Luckily, she didn't.

"Do the girls know you are here?" Carolyn asked.

"Not yet. I saw you leaving the Inn as I pulled in and I thought that I'd come say hi to you before being attacked by Natalie and Amy."

Carolyn laughed. "Did they know you were coming to the wedding?"

Addie nodded. "Yeah, I'm helping them with hair and makeup tomorrow."

"Well then, let's go see what's going on inside then."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Richard was working in the chief's office – his old office – when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in," he said as Miranda peered her head into the room.

"Richard, I've just gotten the call from Arizona informing me the first half of the Shepherd's have arrived."

Richard laughed. "When I saw you walk into my office, I was sure it was something surgical. You out of all people surprise me with how much you've gotten into this wedding."

"Everyone is so caught up in wedding stuff. It still blows my mind that neither one of them have caught on to something."

"They've been too busy with all of their dilemmas. They need this to cheer them up."

Miranda nodded. "Tucker can't wait to put on his little outfit. He's adorable with it on."

"I can't wait to put on my outfit. I never imagined walking down the aisle with my little girl. She feels so much more like a daughter to me than I had ever imagined. This time last year, she didn't even want me at her wedding. Now I'm the one who has to pass her on to Derek. In my mind, she's still the little five year old running around the hospital. But soon enough, she'll have her own little one running around the hospital. It feels like everything has gone by in the blink of an eye."

Miranda smiled warmly at her mentor. She felt the same way as Richard when it came to Meredith. Although it didn't go as far back, she had felt this connection with her since she was her intern. It was like she had some power to drag people into feeling so attached to her.

She wouldn't have the slightest problem with getting the Shepherd's to fall in love with her too.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Jackson went to check on the patient Dr Shepherd had put him in charge of watching. He didn't understand why Derek had been so adamant about him treating his patient with extra kindness, but when he walked in and noticed the curly little blonde head sitting on a cot beside the patient, he understood.

"Hello there, I'm Dr Avery. I'll be the one who watches your progress tonight and release you tomorrow."

Catherine's eyes lit up at the word release.

"Mommy, that's Meredith's little brother."

Catherine looked at her daughter. "Where did you get that idea sweetie? Usually brothers and sisters have the same last name. Avery and Grey aren't the same."

Jackson smiled and Stephanie looked at him. "Will you tell my mommy that you're Meredith's little brother?"

Jackson nodded towards the little girl and then to the patient. "She's my half-sister. We only recently found out."

Catherine's face flushed. "I'm sorry. I should have believed Stephanie."

"I'm Jackson," he introduced himself.

"Catherine," she answered. "And this is Stephanie, but I have a feeling you've already met."

Jackson nodded as he checked her vitals. "It seems that you and Meredith have become quite close."

Catherine nodded. "She's been my life line. She's watched out for Stephanie like it was no big deal. I am so thankful to her. She spent a lot of her free time up here with me just because. I think I may have found my first friend in Seattle. I just wish she wasn't leaving for New York the day I got out of the hospital. We could have celebrated."

Jackson decided he'd put it on himself to tell her about the wedding.

"Well, you guys always could still celebrate your release, along with her wedding."

"Wedding?" Catherine asked. "She lied about New York?"

Jackson shook his head. "No, she thinks she's going to New York. There's a group of her friends who have organized a surprise wedding for her and Derek and neither one of them know."

Catherine's eyes lit up, then they dimmed out. "I have no way of getting there."

"No problem. You can come with me. I'm off at eleven and then I'm headed over to the Inn where the wedding will take place. I'll be coming back in the next day. You can stay at the Inn along with all the other guests. We have a few extra rooms. Then either me or someone else can bring you back into town and drop you off wherever you live."

Catherine nodded excitedly. "Oh my, I can't wait!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

It was nine thirty when Cristina, who was sitting outside in front of the main entrance, noticed three cars pull in one after the other. When she recognized the dark haired woman who got out of the passenger side of the first one, she knew it was the other half of the Shepherd clan. She remembered Nancy from her visit to Seattle several years before. A man, which Cristina had guessed was her husband got out of the driver's side. Two girls in their early teens came out of the back seat.

The second car contained what seemed to be the same amount of people, almost the exact replica of the first. The woman, who Cristina had guessed was Kathleen, got out of the passenger side, the man on the driver's side. Two teenage girls out of the back.

But the third car, Cristina had difficulties guessing. All the Shepherd sisters were here now, and the woman didn't seem old enough, nor looked anything like the rest of them to be another Shepherd sister. But the man resembled Derek in several ways. The body structure, the smile, the almost disgustingly perfect hair. But Derek didn't have a brother. Or so he had told all of them. A set of twins jumped out of the back seat and ran over to Nancy.

"Hi, I'm Kathleen Hollingsworth, well Shepherd. Whatever is easier," she said as she approached Cristina.

"You're Derek's oldest sister," Cristina tried in her own words. Kathleen nodded.

"Okay, so we are in the right place."

Cristina nodded. "I'm Cristina Yang, Meredith's best friend."

"Okay then, while we're at it, this is my husband Nicholas, and my daughters Carlie and Jayden. Over there is my son Andrew and his girlfriend Kristen." Cristina nodded taking in all the names she knew she'd forget. But she had found out that the guy who looked like Derek was his nephew. _I wonder if that's what Derek looked like in college._

"I'm Nancy, but I think we've already met." Cristina gave her a look and she understood. "I know, I wasn't the ray of sunshine last time I was here, but I've been talking to Addison and I know now that Meredith wasn't to blame in all of what happened. I come in peace," she added with a laugh.

Cristina still wasn't sure if she trusted her yet, but she'd give her a chance.

"Anyway, this is my husband, Stanley Peters and these are my daughters Kaitlin and Hailey, and my twins Samuel and Steven."

Cristina nodded again knowing she wouldn't remember all the names. She felt bad for Mer who would have to learn them all.

"Well you're in for a lot of introductions tonight. And even more tomorrow. I'll show you guys to your rooms and then to the hall where everyone else is."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Addie had been glad at the reaction Natalie and Amy had when she walked in. The two of them had come and given her a great big hug. She knew that they hadn't really had the sisterly connection with them that some people had with their in-laws, but they had at least been friends. They got to talk for several minutes before someone decided to crank on the music.

The kids all got up and danced and the adults gathered together and had conversations amongst each other. Addie had talked to Natalie's husband Cory, whom she had gone to high school with and had actually introduced the two. She may no longer be part of the Shepherd family, but she left her traces behind.

She had also talked to Sienna, who seemed like quite a delightful person. She learnt that she was a Neo-Natal surgeon too in Toronto and that led them to topics on their patients.

Addie had been enjoying herself so much she didn't even notice when two of her best friends walked into the room. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Addison!" Nancy exclaimed and Addie spun around in her chair and came face to face with the two women who had felt most like her sisters. She gave both of them a quick hug before inviting them to the table and grabbing them drinks. Nicholas and Stanley joined in and sat with Julian on the other side of the table. The four teenage girls sat at a separate table and started their own conversation between themselves only to have Tessa leave the younger ones and join them. Andrew and Kristen sat beside Mark and Andrew felt great being with the man he had known as his own uncle again.

"Andy! Long time no see!" He gave him a pat on the back. "Looking more and more like your uncle Derek every day I see."

"No kidding," Cristina said a she sat beside Lexie who was sitting next to Mark. "When he got out of the car, I thought I was seeing a Derek junior."

Andrew laughed. "Most of my professors at college have done double takes when I walk in the class, especially the first day. One of them even took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. It was quite funny."

"Following in your Uncle's footsteps? Same college, same classes. Heading to med school?"

Andrew nodded. "Which reminds me. I need to thank Derek. All the professors who had Derek in their class when he was in college love me. All the ones who haven't seem to treat me like every other student. I think Derek must have been quite a student to have. He has definitely made my school days much easier."

Mark huffed as Cristina and Lexie laughed. "Just remember, Neurosurgery is not for you. Follow your better Uncle's footsteps and head into plastics. Much more intriguing."

Cristina shook her head. "Forget plastics. Cardio is everything."

Lexie raised her shoulders. "I think I'm headed into pediatrics, or maybe general."

"Hold on!" Andrew laughed. "Let me graduate from college, get into med school, do my internship and then we can have this discussion."

"As long as you don't waste your medical degree and become a psychiatrist," Mark said, a little louder than he should have. He saw the piece of cheese heading straight for his face but didn't have the time to react before it hit him in the forehead.

"I heard that," Kathleen said as Lexie, Cristina, Andrew and Kristen giggled.

Mark knew that this week would be a fun one.

**So, first of all, I'm starting to give up on chapter titles. They're becoming less and less creative. Also, I wanted to comment on how I'm not getting the reviews I used to ): The wedding starts in the next chapter, and if you want to see it soon, you'll need to review. I know the chapters haven't been all that interresting or dramatic or whatever, but I promise something will happen very soon. And then more later on. Anyway, I miss reviews.**

**Hope everyone is still reading this and that you haven't all given up on me. Keep reading, reviewing and enjoy !**


	18. Close calls, white lies and wrong turns

Meredith awoke to the sound of her alarm and for the first time in a few days, she felt the need to hurl. She jumped out of bed and made it to the bathroom just in time. She thought she was done emptying the contents of her stomach like she had so many times before, but she could feel that it wasn't over. She continued to throw up and she could feel tears run down her face.

She knew there was nothing left in her stomach to throw up, but she couldn't pull herself up from leaning over the toilet. She felt so week, so drained. Being pregnant, along with all the added stress, was really starting to get to her and she could really feel it now.

She cried for a few seconds before she felt strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her so she was lying against her husband's strong chest. He stroked her hair just as she had done to Stephanie a few days before. Meredith snuggled into his embrace and let her emotions go.

Derek sat in silence as his wife cried in his arms. He couldn't decipher what had brought this on, and he was usually pretty good at reading her. He felt like all he could do for her right now was to make sure she knew he was there. He would always be there.

Meredith's sobs diminished until Derek didn't hear her cry at all anymore. He thought she had maybe fallen asleep, but when she rested her hands over her stomach, he knew she was still awake. He slid his hands up slightly so his too were resting on her stomach. They sat like that for several minutes before Derek decided to find out what was going on in his Meredith's head.

"Are you okay?" Derek knew her answer. It would be 'I'm fine.' But when she shook her head no, Derek knew he had to do more than just rub her stomach.

"What's wrong?" he asked, hoping to get somewhere.

"I'm drained, Derek. I can even stand up straight. Every time I eat, in less than a few hours, I've thrown it up. And it's not just in the morning. The hospital is giving me migraines. The thrill of surgery isn't even enthralling anymore, it's just another chore. Everyone's being so secretive, I feel like they're talking about me behind my back. I can't handle this anymore." She tried getting up, but couldn't muster the strength to do it on her own. Derek lifted her and carried her to their bed. He was going to leave her to sleep for a little while longer and then they'd decide whether going to New York was the best idea right now. He knew his mom would be disappointed if he called and said he couldn't come, but he was sure that when he told her the reason why she'd not only understand, but she'd be absolutely thrilled that she wouldn't even think about being mad at him.

"Don't go Derek," she said from the bed, where she pulled herself up in a sitting position.

"I'm just going to go get you some water."

Meredith nodded and Derek headed down to the kitchen. He had a feeling it was going to be a long day, but as long as he spent it with Meredith, everything was going to be okay.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXXO

Mark awoke lying in the room in the Inn with his Lexie lying beside him. He remembered the promise he had made to Carolyn. He could do this. He knew he could. But he wasn't going to do it before the wedding. That would take away from Derek and Meredith's special day.

He checked his watch and noted that it was close to nine o'clock. According to the plane tickets that he did not own, they had to be at the airport for eleven so he needed to pick Derek and Meredith at ten thirty to make it look realistic. He decided that it would be a good idea to get up and on the go now so he wouldn't be late. He had a big job to do. He needed to make sure the bride and groom both made it to their own wedding.

He left his and Lexie's room in the suite and entered the main area of the suite. He nodded to Arizona who was already up and headed out the door to the hall where he noted that most people were already up.

"Today's the day," Carolyn said to him as he sat down with her, Amy and Daniel.

"I know and Meredith and Derek still think they are going to New York in a few hours."

Just then Mark's cell started to ring and when he checked the caller ID, he saw Derek's name.

"Everyone quiet," he yelled through the hall. "It's Derek."

The silence that fell on the room was complete. He answered.

"Mark, it's Derek."

"I know, I do have caller ID."

"Right. I just wanted to tell you there's a chance Meredith and I aren't going to New York."

"WHAT!" Mark screamed. He signed to everyone to listen to what he was saying. "What do you mean there's a chance you guys aren't coming to New York?" The expressions on the faces of the people around him told him he needed to find a way to fix this.

"Meredith is really getting drained out by everything and she's been throwing up and crying for the last hour. I don't know if she can handle the family –" Mark didn't know what had happened but it sounded like the phone had been taken from Derek's hand.

"Don't listen to him. I haven't thrown up in the past twenty minutes and I've stopped crying. And once Derek's family knows why I'm so drained, I'm sure they'll understand. Hell, they're all girls who have gone through this before. Anyway, we're coming, I just recommend you bring a few bags for the plane ride."

She hung up the phone and Mark sighed in relief.

"False alarm," he assured everyone. "For now," he added in a whisper.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXXO

After Meredith hung up the phone, she scowled at Derek. "We're going to New York if only to get things off my mind," she said.

Derek pulled in into a kiss.

"I taste like throw up," Meredith warned him before he went back to deepen the kiss.

"I don't care," he said each word between kisses.

"Derek, stop." Meredith pulled away a little as Derek rested his chin on top of her head and snaked his arms around her waist.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I just figured that you didn't need to be stressed out and nervous. I want you to be happy and healthy. My happiness comes second to yours because if you're happy and healthy, then so am I."

"That was corny," Meredith answered, "but I love you anyway."

"Good and I love you too."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Richard's mind was so preoccupied with thoughts of the wedding. He couldn't think straight. The wedding was today. After all the hard work they had put into it, the end of a long two weeks would be amazing. And Richard knew that everyone would be thinking the same way on this very sunny Seattle morning.

He approached the nurse's station and noticed Callie looking through one of her charts.

"Can you believe the wedding is today?" he asked without warning and Callie jumped a little in her seat before smiling at what Richard had just said.

"I know! I can't wait to see the expression on their faces when they see everyone there and they find out about the wedding."

"We may not get to see it," Richard said.

"But somebody will hopefully have a camera."

Richard nodded and looked around. "It feels so weird. The hospital feels, empty."

Callie laughed. "Well, there's still about the same amount of staff as there usually is, just nobody we know all that well. Mercy Wester's, new people. Really old people," she added as she saw one of the next doctors to retire walk by. "But it'll be back to normal after this whole wedding thing is over."

"True," Richard agreed. "Well I got to go check on my patients before I head out to the Inn."

"Same," Callie added as she checked her watch and noted that it was getting close to ten. Mark would be leaving soon to go pick up Derek and Meredith and the wedding would start to roll. Everyone hoped.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The excitement in the hall was contagious. Miranda walked in with Tuck and immediately noticed the number of people and the excited looks on all of their faces. She also noticed the number of kids. So did Tuck. Miranda had thought it would be best if she waited to get Tucker dressed in his tux only minutes before the wedding. She had thought right.

"I know you want to go play, so you be good."

Tuck nodded and immediately found Cody, who was about his age. Miranda followed her son and sat down at a table with a person she didn't recognize.

"Is that your son?" she asked the stranger.

"Yup, destruction mode and all. I don't know how he'll stay calm during the wedding if he already has this much energy."

"I'm afraid my son will lose the rings. He's the ring bearer. I'm Miranda Bailey, by the way."

"Sienna Grey-Livingston."

"Another Grey?" she asked, sounding a bit worried.

Sienna laughed. "I'm Meredith's cousin. And don't worry, I'm just as crazy as the rest of them."

Miranda shook her head. "Grey's don't scare me anymore."

On the other side of the hall, Lexie was deep in conversation with Amy. When she had woken up, she had guessed where to find everybody. When she entered the hall, she had found Mark sitting with Amy, Daniel and Carolyn, so she decided she'd go and join them. They talked for a while, but nothing too personal. Then Mark had to leave and Carolyn excused herself and headed back up to her room. This left Lexie alone with Amy.

"So you're a resident at Seattle Grace too?" Amy asked, wanting to find out more about her probably future sister-in-law.

Lexie nodded.

"What are you looking into for a specialty?"

"Probably pediatrics. Everything seems much more intriguing when it's with children. Besides, they're much easier to agree with and they don't usually argue your choices. And they brighten your day sometimes just with the slightest comment."

"So do you want kids someday?"

Lexie had expected this, but answered honestly. "Yeah, I do."

Amy smiled. "Mark may still be a kid himself, but he'll make an amazing father. I can see the changes in him since the last time he was in New York. He's matured, if that were possible. And according to Izzie and Alex, it's mostly due to you. Mark is in love with you, and that's something big for Mark."

Lexie was speechless. She didn't know how to react. Luckily, Izzie saved her.

"Okay, so we need to start getting ready everybody," she instructed from her position in the middle of the room. "I want the men without young children to help outside with the tarps and to the set the tables in here. The women can start getting ready and all those who are in the wedding party, I want you to see me after I'm done with my instructions. Those who are doing hair and makeup, I'd suggest you get your children ready then ship the younger ones off with Sienna and Molly who have volunteered to watch the kids outside. The older kids, we may need your help in getting the younger ones ready too since we need your moms. All the help we can get is greatly appreciated." Just then, her phone beeped letting her know she just got a text. "It's Mark. He just pulled into Derek and Meredith's driveway. Everyone off and let me know when you are ready so we can let Mark know that were ready for the bride and groom. Now go!"

Cristina and Lexie headed up to where Izzie was. Tuck soon joined them with Miranda's assistance, who was already all dressed and made up so she didn't have anything else to do. Natalie brought the three flower girls over and left again to go help her other kids get ready and to grab the dresses.

"Okay, so this is it," she said to Cristina and Lexie. "I want you guys to head down to room 116. We're using it as the getting ready room for the women. When Mark and Derek get back and Richard arrives, they'll be brought to room 101 which is way at the other end." She looked at Miranda. "I want you to bring Tuck down there and when the men get here, Richard can get him dressed. Noah should already be down there with the clothes."

Miranda nodded and headed off with her son to the other end of the Inn. Izzie then led Cristina, Lexie and the three flower girls to the room they were using to get ready. Natalie ran into them in the hallway and passed Lexie the dresses. She then promised she'd be back in about fifteen minutes ready to get started on hair and makeup.

Addie and Kathleen were already in room 116 when they got there. Addie looked amazing in her red dress and Kathleen looked just as breath taking in her blue blouse and white skirt. Neither one of them having to worry about getting their kids ready, Addison not having any and Kathleen's were old enough to get ready on their own, they were both getting ready for the mega makeovers awaiting the wedding party.

Hair curlers, straighteners and dryers were spewed a little bit everywhere. The beds had been taken out and were replaced with several high chairs, so that they would be able to work more easily. There were tables covered in hair products, makeup and accessories.

"Let's start with the little ones," Izzie suggested and sat the three of them in chairs. Just then, Amy came into the room with a sleeping Daniel in a tiny tux in her arms.

"I would help, but my arms are a little full," Amy said.

"I'll take him," Cristina suggested as those who knew her stood in shock. Izzie's eyes were almost bulging out of her head. But Cristina didn't notice. "I don't know the first thing about this stuff." She pointed to the makeup.

Amy thanked her and passed Cristina her sleeping son.

"Let's get to work."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Mark walked into the front door without knocking. He never did when he came to Meredith's place because there were usually so many people here you wouldn't even notice when someone new came in. But today, he knew the only people here were Meredith and Derek.

"Hello?" he called out into the quiet house. Just then Meredith came running down the stairs.

"Sorry, we're running a bit late."

"That's alright," Mark answered. "We've got plenty of time."

He then noticed Derek coming down the stairs with their suitcases.

"I'll bring this out to the car," he said as he walked out the door.

"Not even a hello?" But Derek didn't hear him. He looked at Meredith. "Are you guys fighting?"

Meredith shrugged. "I didn't think so. Maybe he's mad because I still want to go to New York even though he wants to make sure I feel one hundred percent healthy. I'll never feel one hundred percent healthy so… besides, I haven't thrown up in an hour, so I should be all good."

Derek came back in.

"Sorry, just don't want to miss our flight."

Mark laughed. "Relax, we won't miss our flight. It only leaves at twelve thirty."

Derek nodded and looked at Meredith. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Meredith giggled. "Yes Derek, I'm sure. I know that this morning wasn't the best morning, but I swear, these pregnant mood swings can really be a problem."

Derek nodded. "Try being the one following your mood swings."

The three of them headed out the door after Meredith made sure it was locked. Mark got into the driver's seat and Meredith slipped into the back, followed by Derek.

_Now, I've got to get them to the Inn without too many questions._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Derek still wasn't sure if Meredith would be up to flying. He was worried that she would get sick because of the altitude, or even at takeoff or at the landing. He was also worried that a week with his family would be too much on her. Although they were a very loving family, they could be a bit too much sometimes, especially for a new comer. But he hoped that when they revealed the big news, they'd give her a bit more space. That is after the initial excitement that their only brother was having a baby.

"Mark, where are we going?" Derek asked as he noticed them pass the exit to go to the airport.

"We need to stop at this place before we head out," Mark said, trying not to smile.

"Why?" Meredith asked.

"Because I need to. It's none of your business why."

They sat in silence for a few more minutes before Derek spoke up.

"Where is this place we are supposed to be going to?"

"A little whiles away. No worries, we won't miss our flight. I just got a text telling me it was an hour delayed.

_A text?_ Derek thought. Since when did they text you flight delays? Derek was getting suspicious.

"Mark, what's really going on?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Mark didn't know how to answer Derek's last question. _What's going on? Well, we're not actually going to New York because we are organizing you guys a surprise wedding. But don't tell Meredith and Derek. It's a secret. _He obviously couldn't tell them the truth. So he lied.

"Um… well… the truth is…I lost the tickets and now we can't go to New York."

"What?" Derek exclaimed. "How could you Mark! We trusted you. I was really getting excited for this trip."

"Derek, I'm sorry. They just, disappeared. But I want to show you guys something. Maybe make it up to you."

Derek shook his head. "Nothing will make up for this." But he didn't fight Mark's suggestion at him showing them something. _Good,_ he thought. _I won't need to tell them the truth._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Callie had gotten off a little bit earlier than scheduled. She decided to head straight to the Inn. She was getting as excited as everyone else for this.

When she got there, she went through the Inn and to where she heard lots of female voices. She found an open door and noticed Izzie, Lexie, Cristina and Addie with a bunch of other women who she guessed were Derek's sisters. Also in the room were three little girls in matching dresses their hair all in ringlets.

"Callie!" Izzie exclaimed. "Would you do us a big favour."

"Anything," Callie said as she nodded.

"Will you go wait for Meredith and Derek to arrive and bring Meredith down to this room when they do? Mark will bring Derek to the men's preparations room."

"Of course," she headed out the back door where some people had already gotten seated. She noticed Arizona, Teddy and Owen sitting near the middle.

"I can't believe this is it!" Callie exclaimed. The three others nodded.

"I can't believe they pulled this off," Owen said as he looked around. The kids were starting to get seated and they noticed Adele sitting with Carolyn Shepherd near the front.

"Well I've got to go wait for the bride and groom to arrive. But save me a seat!" Callie exclaimed as she headed back towards the front of the Inn.

XOXOXOXOXOX

Derek was fuming interiorly. He knew Mark could be immature, but he never thought he'd stoop this low. How was he supposed to start a family if he wasn't even responsible enough to make sure he didn't lose plane tickets?

It was then that Derek noticed the same gas station they had gone by several minutes before. What was going on?

"Mark, are you going in circles?"

Mark shrugged. "It feels like it, but I don't think we actually are."

Derek accepted this, knowing that a lot of gas stations looked alike. But then they passed a small grocery store and Derek knew they had passed it before.

"We're going in circles Mark. I think we're lost."

Mark shrugged. "Maybe."

Meredith looked over to Derek. "He seems a little off, almost giddy, like he was high on something," she whispered.

"It's probably just because of the ring."

Meredith gave him a questioning look.

"An engagement ring Mer. He's going to do it."

After the look of shock passed, Meredith smiled. "I knew he would someday soon."

Mark cleared his throat in the front seat. "You guys do realize I'm right here?"

Meredith giggled, but then went serious. "When are you going to do? Are you going to do it publicly? Privately? Is that where you are taking us right now?"

Mark laughed. "Slow down. I still haven't decided when I'm doing yet, nor how. All I know is that I have to do it sometime this week."

Meredith, who wasn't usually one for this type of thing kept asking questions. _At least this is a good distraction, _Mark thought to himself.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Richard was on his way to a certain patient's room, with simple instructions from Jackson. He remembered meeting the patient before, in the last few days, and he had heard that she and Meredith had become quite good friends. Catherine seemed like a nice person, someone he could definitely see as Meredith's friend. But it was little Stephanie that had him intrigued.

She not only looked like Meredith, but she had a smile that reminded him of Elis in every way. When he met her, he couldn't help but smile back at her. She seemed like such a sweet kid, and having her running the halls of Seattle Grace reminded him of when Meredith was about her age.

Jackson had asked him if he'd be able to bring the two of them to the wedding. He had been pulled into an emergency surgery and would only be out in time to make it with very little time to spare. Richard agreed and headed off to finish his shift. Before he went down to the patient's room, he changed into his tux, which earned him quite a few curious stares in the hallway. The crew had done a good job at keeping the wedding a secret, knowing that if one of the nurses were to hear of it, Meredith and Derek would have heard it from the gossip mongrels.

"Catherine, I'm Dr Richard Webber," he said as he walked into the room.

"Oh no, this isn't good. Dr Avery was supposed to release me. Something's wrong, right?"

Richard laughed. "No, I'm here to release you instead of Dr Avery because he won't be able to do it in time for you to get to your house to find some nice clothes and then to the wedding."

Catherine smiled. "Thank you."

He took out the release forms and once they were done being filled out, they left the room, Catherine so happy she was finally free.

They entered an elevator, all while chatting about the wedding. The sole occupant of the car didn't even catch their attention until she spoke up.

"May I ask whose wedding you are attending? Rumor has it, it's hospital staff."

Catherine answered with a smile. "Derek and Meredith." She didn't notice the look on Richard's face.

The elevator got off on the main floor and the two of them walked off. She then looked at Richard.

"It looks like you've seen a ghost."

Richard shook his head. "Has Meredith ever talked to you about a nurse named Rose?"

Catherine nodded. "Oh yeah, the one that is trying to steal Derek?" She then clued in to the mistake she made. "Oh my goodness, that was her, wasn't it?"

Richard nodded as they made their way to his car, Stephanie jumping into the back.

"I'm so sorry," Catherine apologized. "If I had known…"

"It's alright," Richard replied. "It's not like she can do anything."

_I hope,_ he added in his head.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"We've been driving forever Mark!" Meredith exclaimed from the backseat. "I swear, I will throw up back here just to get out of this frigging thing."

Derek chuckled slightly, rewarding himself a stern glare from his wife. He stopped and then added his own complaint.

"I swear Mark, if you don't tell us where we are going, I will have to force you to stop, kick you out of the car, steal your car and frame someone else."

Just then, Mark's phone beeped informing him of an incoming text. He checked it and then announced;

"We're almost there."

A few minutes later, he pulled into a dirt driveway and Meredith gave Derek a questioning look.

"Mark, what's going…" she trailed off as the Inn came into view. She was speechless at it's beauty, still not knowing why they were there.

"Breathtaking, huh?" he asked as he pulled into one of the closest parking spots. He noticed the number of cars had increased which meant that most of the guests had arrived.

As he got out, he watched as both Meredith and Derek reluctantly climbed out of their seats and closed the doors on the car. Mark had been informed of the location he and Derek had been instructed to go to. He then noticed Callie standing in the doorway.

"Finally, you guys have arrived." Callie grabbed Meredith by the wrist. "You need to come with me."

Meredith didn't know what to do. "What's going on?"

"You'll find out soon"

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Jackson had gotten out of surgery with time to spare. Everything had gone extremely well and they finished before schedule. He had changed into his tux and was leaving when he heard someone call from behind him.

"Excuse me?" the voice asked.

Jackson turned around and noticed that the person standing behind him was remotely familiar. He had seen that face before, but he didn't think it was someone he knew.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm looking for Chief Shepherd. I saw that there was an opening for cardio and I was interested in finding out more information."

A cardio surgeon. Then it clicked. He knew this guy because he was one of the best cardiothoracic surgeons in the country. He had even won his grandfather's award not too long ago.

"You're –" the surgeon cut him off.

"Dr Preston Burke."

**DUNDUNDUN! Preston is back. Jackson meets him. But does he really know who this famous surgeon is? We'll find out soon...**

**Other than the cliffhanger, this chapter was pretty slow too. But I still promise it will get better. Especially with the whole Burke thing. Don't give up hope. AND REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW ! Pleaase ?**


	19. Today's the day

**Disclaimer: I don't get what this is for, but I don't want to get in trouble for not doing it. But I obviously don't own Grey's anatomy, or else I wouldn't be making up my own version of what would happen, it would actually be happening on the show. So why put a disclaimer if it's obvious ? But Stephanie's all mine ! :D**

Jackson was standing in front of one of the best cardiothoracic surgeons in the country. He couldn't believe his luck. It was exactly what he had wished for. Someone who would be extremely capable of teaching him everything when it came to his passion.

"It's an honor to meet you," Jackson held out his hand.

"So about seeing Dr… I mean Chief Shepherd?" he then asked.

Jackson shook his head and looked down at his tux. "He's actually not here at the moment. An event."

Burke nodded slowly. "Is that where you are headed?" he asked, pointing to his outfit.

Jackson nodded. "Yeah, he's getting married."

Burke smiled. "I knew he'd get remarried someday. Addie wasn't right for him."

"You know them?" Jackson asked.

"Yes, old co-workers of mine."

"In that case, you should come to the reception tonight. I'm sure he'd be glad to see you."

Burke shook his head. "I wasn't invited. I wouldn't want to intrude."

"I'm inviting you. It's a surprise wedding, so they had no opinion on the guest list."

"A surprise wedding?" Preston questioned.

Jackson nodded. "They're somewhat already married. They wrote their vows on a post-it and called it their wedding."

Burke laughed. "Sounds like Derek. But I still don't want to intrude. I don't even know who the bride is."

Jackson forgot to mention that. "Oh right. Her name is Meredith Grey. She's Ellis Grey's daughter. Also a surgeon and my half sister." Jackson noticed the expression on Burke's face. "You know her?"

Burke nodded. "Since the beginning of their relationship. But I never did believe they'd make it this far. Last I had heard they had broken up."

"Well, they're getting married."

"Wow," was all Preston could manage.

Jackson looked at his watch. "Well if I don't go I'm going to be late for the wedding." He pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled some information. "The dance starts at eight. You should come." Jackson was about to head out before he said his last few words. "Oh and I hope you get the job here. We need a cardiothoracic surgeon. My girlfriend would love you."

Little did Jackson know that she already had.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Callie was dragging Meredith down the hall.

"Callie, where are you taking me? What am I doing here?"

"I can't tell you Meredith. I was told not to tell you, but to get you down here."

Callie was thinking about how Meredith would react when they reached the preparation room and saw all these women who looked like Derek. Would she clue in? Would it be too much? Callie knew Meredith wasn't one for families, so would it have been a better idea to get Derek to introduce them initially? _Too late now I guess, _she told herself as she reached the main hallway.

"I swear Callie, if someone doesn't tell me what's going on soon, I will have to call 911."

Callie laughed. "No need. We're almost there."

Callie reached the door and knocked exactly how Izzie had asked her to. This was it. She couldn't wait to see how Meredith reacted.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Mark and Derek were headed down to the other end of the Inn, Derek much in the same humor as Meredith.

"Mark, tell me where we are going and tell me now!"

Mark walked a few more feet and entered the room where they came face to face with Richard and Miranda, and some other guy Derek didn't know. Richard and Miranda were both dressed up and Derek noticed little Tucker in a little tux.

"Mark, what is going on?"

Mark's smile was at his ears. He had been honored with the role of telling Derek the surprise.

"Derek, today is a day that you will remember forever. Today is the day of all days. Don't screw it up."

Derek gave him a puzzled look. "And what day would that be, Mark?"

Mark's smile got bigger if that were possible. "As your best man, I've been told to inform you it's your wedding day."

Derek's eyes were the size of golf balls. "Wha…what do you mean?"

"You're getting your wedding day Derek. Simple, yes, but still a wedding."

"How….how did you guys….?"

"With a lot of help," Mark answered as he looked at Miranda and Richard.

"Does Meredith know?"

"She probably just found out. We've done a good job at keeping it from you guys."

"Have you ever," Derek answered still in disbelief. "How long have you been hiding this?"

"Two weeks," Mark answered.

"It only took you guys two weeks?" Derek exclaimed. Mark nodded proudly.

"Well, it's time to get everything ready," Richard exclaimed. "The tuxes are over there." He pointed to the bed. "Miranda, is Tucker all ready?"

Miranda nodded. "All he's missing is the rings."

Mark stopped in his tracks. "Crap! Rings! We forgot about rings!"

Just then, they heard a female voice in the doorway. "That shouldn't be a problem."

Derek knew that voice better than anybody else's, other than Meredith's. He spun around very fast and when he saw the woman standing in the doorway, his smile grew.

"Mom!" he exclaimed as he ran over to give her a quick hug and a kiss.

"It's good to see you Derek." She smiled at her only son. "I knew I wouldn't miss out on seeing you marry Meredith."

Derek's heart was full of love and joy. Carolyn then pulled out a box and opened it to reveal two gold wedding bands. "It's your grandparents' rings. Your father's parents. He wanted you to have them."

She closed the box and slid it into Tucker's little pocket. "Now don't lose it," she said to the little boy as she tickled him. "Well I should get back to my seat." She turned towards the doorway, but before leaving she added; "I'm proud of you Derek. You're making the right decision."

"I know I am mom."

XOXOXOXOXOX

The Shepherd sisters and Addison were working their magic on Cristina, Izzie and Lexie. They all looked amazing, the bride's maids as much as the already beautiful Shepherd crew.

"I can't believe this is all really happening!" Izzie squealed just as there was a familiar knock at the door. "Everyone, it's Meredith!" Izzie said, excitement in her voice. The Shepherd's all looked at each other with smiles and waited for the door to open. When it did, they automatically recognized the women Derek wouldn't stop telling them about, Nancy, being the only one who had already seen her. But she almost looked like a new person. Appearance wise, she hadn't changed, but there something about her that was different.

Meredith looked around the room, surprise sketched onto her face. She looked over at her two best friends and her sister. She then noticed the bride's maids dresses that they were wearing.

"What's going on?" she asked, a little reluctant.

"You're getting married!" Izzie exclaimed as she bounced from her chair and ran over to her friend. "It's your wedding day Mer!"

Meredith giggled nervously. "Um, don't you think I would have remembered planning a wedding?"

Lexie and Cristina smiled to each other which Meredith noticed.

"We planned you and Derek a surprise wedding, to thank you guys for everything you've done for us," Lexie explained.

Meredith let her gaze shift to the other people in the room. She saw Addie, and a bunch of women who looked much like her Derek. Then she noticed one that stood out from the rest.

"Nancy?" she asked, remembering her first encounter with Derek's older sister.

"Meredith! I want to start off by apologizing for the last time. I shouldn't have judged."

Meredith shook her head. "It's forgotten."

Kathleen then stepped forward. "I'm Kathleen, Derek's oldest sister. It's so amazing to finally meet you." She gave Meredith a quick hug which Meredith accepted gratefully, to the ones that knew her well's surprise. Next Natalie and Amy introduced themselves and also gave Meredith a great big hug.

"And don't worry," Natalie added. "We didn't listen to a thing Nancy said when she got back from her visit. We've known her to long to know that we're better off not listening."

Kathleen, Amy and Addie laughed, while Nancy rolled her eyes.

"We've got lots of work to do!" Kathleen exclaimed after Callie left to go find her seat with the others from Seattle Grace. They pulled Meredith's dress out of the closet and started by getting her all dressed before starting with the extra stuff. Meredith was overwhelmed about how well they had accepted her, but she liked the feeling of belonging. She hadn't needed Derek at her side. She did it on her own. Suddenly, families didn't scare her quite as much.

XOXOXOXOXOX

Preston Burke walked the halls of Seattle Grace, the hospital he had left so many years before. After his short talk with Dr Avery, Preston felt the urge to revisit the place he had practically lived in for so many years. This place did miss him, and when he saw the job offer, he jumped at it. He wanted to be back.

He had been quite surprised when Dr Avery had mentioned that Derek and Meredith were married, well getting married. Whatever. That they were still together and making it permanent. He knew that when he had left the hospital, they were breaking up. He just didn't think that they're relationship would ever get this serious.

As he thought about relationships, he couldn't help but think about Cristina. The Cristina that had been his so many years before. That could've been his today if he hadn't of walked out. He wondered where she was. Certainly not here if they didn't have a cardio surgeon. She wouldn't survive. But he wasn't here to get her back. So he didn't think of it as a problem when he came to the conclusion that she had probably left.

He was here because it felt right to be here. He hadn't felt the same at all of the other hospitals he had worked at since his departure. And he had worked at many. But Seattle felt like the right place to be. And when he had finally realized that, he knew he needed to come back as soon as he saw an opening. It hadn't been a week before he saw his old post open up. It was a sign.

The only thing that would be all that different would be that Derek would be his boss. When Preston hadn't been offered the Chief's position that horrible day all the way back then, he knew it was going to be offered to Derek. The real competition had only really been between the two of them. But just the thought of working under Derek made it, weird.

But he would do it. He would do anything to be back at Seattle Grace.

XOXOXOXOXOX

"Meredith, you look amazing!" Izzie squealed as Kathleen put the final touches to her hair.

"Thanks," Meredith replied as she turned a little red. She wasn't used to all of this attention, especially from people she didn't know all that well.

"Now let's make sure we have everything," Natalie suggested. "You're ring is your something old," Natalie pointed to the engagement ring on Meredith's necklace. She had gotten accustomed to wearing it around her necklace rather than on her finger. But she decided that would change after today.

"Your bracelet is your something new," Kathleen pointed to the bracelet the sisters had decided would look best with the dress. It had been bought the week before, knowing that someone would get some use out of it at the wedding.

"The high heels are your something borrowed," Izzie joined in.

"All we're missing is your something blue."

It didn't take Addie a second before she reached into her purse and pulled out a blue barrette. "Here, this should work." She pinned Meredith's bangs back with the blue barrette and the girls smiled at their job well done.

"Well, I have to go check up on everything, make sure we are on track," Izzie announced as she left the room.

"And I'm going to go make sure our husbands haven't lost the kids," Nancy announced, still feeling bad for how she had treated Meredith several years before. Sure, it had been a long time ago, and Meredith had insisted that it was fine, but Nancy still didn't like the fact that she had been that cruel to such an amazing woman. She would definitely try to get a full apology in before she left to go back to New York.

After both Nancy and Izzie had left, Cristina and Lexie started to mingle into the group. They had sort of stayed out of the way, not knowing how to react to so many Shepherd's. But Cristina got to talking with Natalie and discovered that she was a cardio attending. Cristina knew that she liked her already.

"Derek has told us so much about you Meredith," Kathleen said as she sat next to Meredith, but not too close. She didn't want to overwhelm her, especially with the amount of surprises they had already dropped on her in the last hour.

"He's also told me so much about you guys, especially in the last few weeks. I don't know if I'll ever remember all the names he's given me since he told me about the family reunion." Meredith than realized that they weren't going to New York for the family reunion. "Speaking of which, what's going to happen to that since everyone seems to be here?"

"It's been moved from New York to Seattle. The other Shepherd's are flying in tonight."

"Wow," Meredith said as she realized the day that was still awaiting her. It was only lunchtime, and already she had had a pretty overwhelming day. It was just going to get even more exciting.

Suddenly, she felt her sickness from that morning come back. She tried jumping from the bed but didn't seem fast enough. Luckily, Addison had recognized the expression and had jumped to the rescue with the garbage can that had been standing right beside her.

"Are you okay?" Kathleen asked, as she pulled her hair back.

"Yeah fine. Just wondering which genius came up with the name 'morning sickness.'" Meredith then realized that she had said too much. She spoke without thinking and now she would have to pay the consequences. "Crap. Derek is going to kill me."

Addie laughed at the expression on the three girls faces. "Weren't expecting to be the ones who were surprised, huh?

Amy was the first to speak up. "Morning sickness…? That means…"

"Oh my goodness! You're pregnant!" Natalie exclaimed.

"Crap. Derek probably wanted to tell you guys to see the reaction on your faces and now I ruined that because I had to go and open my big mouth and blow it and-"

Kathleen cut her off. "Breath," she instructed. "Derek is not going to kill you. He'll get to tell mom and Nancy. And if you want, we can pretend we didn't know."

Meredith giggled. "I'm sure Derek won't notice the faked surprise. He can be an idiot sometimes."

The three sisters smiled. "Glad you think that way."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek was standing at the altar. He couldn't believe it, but he was actually standing at the altar, with Mark, waiting to see his wife – soon to be wife – whatever, walk down the aisle to him. He noticed that the only one of his sisters in the audience was Nancy, but that all his nieces and nephews and brother-in-laws were there. _I wonder where the other three are?_

Just then, he saw Kathleen, Natalie, Amy and Addison walk in from the back of the chairs.

"She's ready," Kath announced as the four of them sat with the rest of the Shepherd clan. Derek was glad to note that Addie didn't seem left out, or even awkward. They all treated her as the friend she had been so many years ago. She had just never fit in as a Shepherd sister. But he had a feeling Meredith would.

"Are you nervous?" Mark asked from behind him.

"Why would I be?" Derek asked. "I'm about to really marry the love of my life. There's nothing scary about it. Just amazing thoughts come to mind."

Mark was quiet for a few moments before he spoke up again. "Does it feel different?"

Derek gave him a confused look. "Different?"

"Yeah, different than the first time."

Derek understood. He was talking about his first wedding. "Yeah, it does. With Addie, it had all been what she had wanted. We hadn't done the planning really together. Her and her mom and the sisters had done everything. And it wasn't me. If Meredith and I had planned this wedding ourselves, it would have looked exactly like this. And when I stood here the first time, I felt like I had to live up to what Addison wanted me to be. Now, I feel like Meredith loves me for who I am and that I don't need to change a thing about me."

Mark smiled. "I've never seen you this happy before, I mean I've never seen you as happy as you are with Meredith."

"It's cause I never have been."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Izzie had come back just after the whole Meredith being pregnant topic had come to an end. Meredith had informed the girls that it was on the down low, and they swore they wouldn't say a thing. After they had left, Izzie had pushed the two other bride's maids and the bride to where they were meeting the rest of the wedding party.

She noticed the other people waiting at the back entrance of the Inn. There were three little girls in matching dresses and she knew right away they were Shepherd's. _More than likely the flower girls,_ Meredith thought. She then noticed Tucker waiting impatiently as Miranda tried controlling him. She looked up when she heard them approach.

"You look beautiful Meredith," she said with a smile that took Meredith by surprise. She didn't know what had gotten into her boss, but she definitely wasn't the same person she had had as a resident when she was an intern.

"Thank you," she whispered, her eyes watering. She told herself not to cry, but everything was just so amazing. She wouldn't have been able to plan a better wedding.

"Are you ready?" she heard a male voice ask from behind. She turned around to come face to face with a very handsome looking Richard. He put out his arm and Meredith understood right away.

"You're the father I wish I had," Meredith whispered as she put her arm under Richard's.

"Then I am honored to be the one to pass you on to the man waiting at the end of this aisle."

Meredith smiled and gave Richard a quick peck on the cheek. "Thanks, dad."

Just then, the very familiar march that Meredith had dreamed of walking along to as a little girl played and she knew the tears wouldn't be able to stay back for very long.

XOXOXOXOXOX

Jackson arrived just in time and found a seat next to Alex. He noticed that the crowd was filled with familiar and unfamiliar faces, but introductions would come later. All he knew is that everyone seemed to be there. He turned to the back as the wedding march started to play and smiled at what they had accomplished in so little time.

The bride's maids were the first to come out. Izzie, her radiant smile led the group by being the first one down the aisle, followed by Lexie. Cristina was the last of the bride's maids to come out, being the maid of honor. His heart warmed as she glanced over to him and her smile brightened. She was amazing and he couldn't help but think that maybe someday, this would them. He shook the idea from his head and just smiled back as sweetly as she made her way to the gazebo turned altar.

Next was the little ring bearer followed by the flower girls. Everyone raised from their seats as they anticipated the entrance of the bride. Jackson worried that Meredith would freak out, with everything going on and not even make it to the altar. But he was wrong.

Meredith walked out, all smiles, with Richard on her arm and walked down the aisle as if it were something she did everyday. She was confident and didn't seem the least bit afraid. Jackson could tell by the look in her eyes that she knew that this was what she wanted to be doing. And he could tell by the expression on Derek's face that he was thinking the same thing as her.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Derek's breath hitched as he watched his Meredith walk out through the doors. She looked amazing, more than amazing. She looked like a princess. His princess. And the smile painted across her face told him that she was as confident about this that he was. He couldn't believe they had gotten this far. They were getting everything they had dreamed of and more. And Derek couldn't be any more pleased that he would be sharing the rest of his life with Meredith.

Meredith stopped just feet away and gave Richard a quick kiss on the cheek before he let go of her arm and took his seat. Meredith stepped up into the gazebo and passed her bouquet to Cristina. She then turned to him and gave him the most amazing smile he had ever seen.

"We have gathered here today to celebrate the coming together of two very special people in all of your hearts."

The minister continued but Derek wasn't really concentrating on his speech. He did as he was told to do and said what he needed to say. But Meredith's smile distracted him from really focusing on what was being said.

After the rings had been exchanged and vows had been read, Derek heard those words he had been waiting for since the beginning.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Derek pushed back Meredith veil and placed his hands on her cheeks before leaving a long and passionate kiss on her lips. He only stopped when he heard Cristina clear her throat and Mark and Lexie's chuckles in response. They then left the gazebo and headed back to the back entrance of the Inn. Once the doors closed behind them, the wedding party all having reentered the building, Derek brought Meredith in to finish their kiss.

"Can we still keep the post-it?" Meredith asked.

Derek smiled. "Of course. It's still our post-it."

Izzie was the first to rush over to the couple and steal Meredith into her arms. "Congratulations Mer!" she squealed as Lexie joined in on the excitement. Cristina tried hiding her smile, but couldn't help but be excited for her person. Derek decided he'd give his wife some time with her people, knowing that she would be his forever after this evening. He walked over and stood between Mark and Richard.

"Congrats Derek," Richard said as he shook his hand. Derek smiled to his mentor and knew that he trusted in his ability to take care of his little girl.

"Yeah, congrats man," Mark added and taped Derek on the back. "You didn't screw up."

"Oh shut up Mark."

Just then, he heard a voice call behind them.

"DerBear!" He turned around and smiled when he saw his four sisters rush towards him. He gave them all great big hugs before pulling back.

"It's so good to see all of you guys here," he said as he turned towards Meredith. "Meredith, meet my sisters."

The women all giggled. "You're a little late for introductions," Natalie explained.

"We've already done all this before the wedding," Amy added.

"Oh and we've already converted her to our side," Kathleen said proudly as she put an arm around Meredith's shoulder. To Derek's amazement, she didn't pull away like he had expected.

"Sorry," Meredith shrugged with a grin, "but us women need to stick together."

Derek laughed as he pulled his wife into his arms and after Izzie announced that everyone head to the hall for the reception, they followed everyone else since they had no idea where to find the hall.

XOXOXOXOX

Sienna followed the crowd of people heading towards the hall. Her husband and her son had headed back up to their room to get Cody changed before supper, but Sienna wanted to find the person she had come out all this way to see.

When finally the crowd reached the huge room, Sienna found an escape and noticed Meredith talking to Miranda, someone she had gotten to know that morning. Their sons got along quite well, so she had gotten the chance to meet someone without having to try too hard. Not that she wasn't good at meeting people. Just being on unfamiliar territory sometimes made it more difficult.

She walked up and noticed Meredith look up when she approached. Sienna knew by the expression that she didn't know who she was. But if it hadn't of been for the fact that she was the only bride at this wedding, Sienna wouldn't have recognized her either, so she wasn't hurt that her own cousin didn't know who she was.

"Hi Meredith," she said as she approached. "You probably don't recognize me, but I'm your cousin."

The look of shock, then the smile that came across Meredith's face told her she didn't need to explain any further.

"Sienna!" she exclaimed as she threw herself in her arms. "How are you doing? I haven't seen you in forever!"

Sienna giggled. "We'll have plenty of time to catch up later. But for now, I just wanted to congratulate you and comment on your amazing pick." Sienna winked as she walked away. Meredith laughed just as she heard a small very familiar voice.

"Meredith!" the little girl running for her exclaimed.

"Stephanie! How'd you get here?"

"Me and mommy came with your daddy."

Meredith then looked up and noticed Catherine.

"Congrats!" she said as she gave Meredith a hug.

"I'm glad you were able to come! It seems that everyone knew about this but Derek and I."

"Well, it doesn't seem like anybody at the hospital knew up until today," Catherine explained.

"Good, at least it makes me feel like less of a loser. It's good to see you out of that hospital room."

Catherine let out a sigh of relief. "It's good to be out."

Just then, Izzie came in and pulled Meredith away after she said goodbye to her friend.

"I need you to come sign some papers. Your marriage certificate."

"Don't you need to do that at city hall?" Meredith asked as they made their way through the crowd of people congratulating her.

"We have someone here that can act as city hall would." Meredith nodded as they approached the more quiet corner of the room where Derek was already signing the papers. When he got up, he passed the pen to Meredith with a smile as she looked over the form and realized that she was about to something that would surprise a lot of people. But she knew it was the right thing to do.

**So they're officially married ! But this is definately not the end of the wedding night. There's still more to come. **

**I would also like to say that this is two updates in like three days..? I think... Anyway, just wanted to make a shout out to a special fan whom you guys should all be thankful for for this fast update. You know who you are (:**

**Keep reading and reviewing. Reviews make me smile, and they make me update faster (:**


	20. Two in one

**Disclaimer: I don't own this wonderful show, I just pretend I do (:**

**So I just wanted to say how much I've enjoyed writting this story. This sounds like one of those last chapter author's notes. But I'll be honest. When I started writting this, I said I'd write about twenty chapters, and that would be it since this is my first. But to all of you amazing fans, there's no way this is over. I've fallen in love with my own story, it's my baby. And the story may never end P: Well this one will, but I'm going to be making sequels, I've already got ideas P:**

**Anyway, in celebration of my twentieth chapter, I'm posting the first chapter of my new story. It's entitaled _Not so strangers._ If you want to know more you'll have to read it !**

**Anyway, enjoy this next chapter, and there's more where it came from !**

Meredith smiled as she watched everyone around her in such a good mood. She knew that she couldn't be any more ecstatic. She got to spend the entire day with all the people she loved. And not one of them had a frown on their face.

She had never seen her friends all in such a good humor. Especially not at the same time. At the table they were at were her, Derek, Lexie, Izzie, Cristina, Mark and Richard, conversations were in full swing. The men were talking fishing, and the women talked about pretty much everything. She looked around at the other tables. Each of Derek's sisters had a table with their families. Another table had Carolyn, Adele, Addie, Miranda and Tuck. Miranda's date ended up not being able to come, he was at his own family ordeal. The next table had Teddy, Owen, Callie, Arizona, Jackson, Alex, Catherine and little Stephanie, and Catherine seemed to be quite comfortable with the group of doctors.

She then noticed the last table had the rest of the Grey's. Molly and Sienna seemed to have gotten to know each other and their husbands were deep in conversation. The two little ones were also getting along very well. Meredith automatically pulled her hand discreetly over her stomach as she thought of there being another little Grey on the way. And with the amount of Shepherd kids here, she was sure her little one would fit in perfectly.

"Are you okay?" Derek whispered into her ear, making her jump slightly.

"Yeah," she said with a smile. "Just thinking about how everyone seems so happy."

Derek nodded but had a concerned look. "Are you happy?"

Meredith gave him a look that he took as shock. "Of course I'm happy! I just married the love of my life!"

Derek chuckled. "Just making sure you weren't having second thoughts."

Meredith slapped him as she giggled herself. Just then she noticed Izzie get up with a glass in one hand and a spoon in the other.

"Oh no," Meredith said as Derek chuckled in response. "Somebody's going to bring up some sort of story and you're family is going to hate me."

Derek kissed her on the cheek. "They won't hate you. My sister's already like you better than they like me."

"Could I get everybody's attention," Izzie exclaimed as she hit her glass with the spoon. "Thank you. I just wanted to start off by saying that although this wedding took a lot of hard work and a lot of hands, it turned out extremely well, better than anyone had hoped, and once again, it's all because of Derek and Meredith. They have been there for all of our ups and downs, including their own rocky journey, and I'm proud to state that what everyone thought was just another one night stand turned into something amazing. So I have to make a special thank you to someone who's not here, but Joe deserves at least that for having placed his bar at just the right spot." The Seattle crew chuckled slightly at the thought of how much they all needed to thank Joe for his bar. Izzie then continued. "This wedding was supposed to happen this time last year, but as you all know, our favorite couple put their friends before them as usual, and for that I am very thankful. But in the end, today couldn't have been better, and I'm glad to see that so many people close to their hearts were able to share it with them. To Seattle Grace's favorite couple!"

Everyone took a drink of their wine, and Meredith just stared at her glass, knowing that whoever served the drinks didn't know she was pregnant. Mark noticed this and leaned over Derek to whisper in her ear. "Don't worry. I took it on myself to change you wine into grape juice. Enjoy!" Meredith thanked him and took a sip of her own drink.

After a few laughs and applauses, Mark felt the need to do his own little speech. "Okay, so no one informed me we were doing speeches, but as the best man, I feel like it's my duty to say something and bring out some memories. Derek and I have been friends longer than Meredith has existed. And we have definitely been through a lot, but in the end we'll always be brothers. Meredith on the other hand, our meeting day is still very fresh in my mind. And if it weren't for my amazing surgical hands, I'd have the scar as a reminder." Once again, only the Seattle Grace crew reacted to his comment, leaving the Shepherd's and other guests in the dark. "Let's just say that I didn't think talking to a doctor could result me with on the floor. Anyway, I've seen these two through everything and there is not a doubt in my mind that they are forever. They've been through more in the last four years than the average person in a lifetime, yet they have always found their way back to the other one. And I just want to let Derek know that my couch is always available for those days where she will kick your ass out of the house when you act like the idiot I know you are under all of that surgeon." This time, everyone laughed.

"Thanks Mark," Derek whispered sarcastically as Mark sat back down and Cristina got up.

"As maid of honor, I think it's my job to humiliate the bride." Cristina glanced over to Meredith who gave her a death glare and Cristina laughed. "But I decided against it due to the fact that she is capable of doing that on her own. I've known Meredith since our first day at SG and I was the first one to know about her and McDreamy. Although it sort of seemed like a total mistake when it started, as things progressed I knew that they weren't just any other couple. They were Derek and Meredith. The couple who never let anything bring them down. Who never let the other fall. The couple who would risk their lives for each other. The ones who did corny things involving lots of candles just to tell the other they love them." Derek smiled as she remembered the house of candles. "The couple who would rather be extraordinary together than ordinary apart. And that's what made me realize that these two were meant to be." Cristina raised her glass as everyone cheered. Meredith's eyes watered. She didn't think her best friend was capable of something so deep. It blew her away. Cristina sat down as Lexie got up.

"Well, I think everyone has pretty much covered the obvious, that being that Derek and Meredith wouldn't be who they are today without each other. And I know that my relationship with them didn't start off smoothly with either of them," she blushed as she remembered her first few days as an intern, "I've grown to love and respect both of them. Meredith, being the older sister I grew up without, has been the person I've looked up to for the last two years and if I learnt one thing from her, it would be that hitting on random people in bars is not my thing." Derek laughed as he and a few others understood the meaning of this. Even some of the SG crew were lost. "Anyway, I just wanted to say that I'm proud of my big sister and I know we started off on, let's just say not the best terms, but where we are today is more than I could have ever imagined. And Derek, you're a pretty cool guy too," she added with a giggle. "Cheers to the couple."

Richard smiled as he realized he was the only one left at the table who hadn't done his speech. He got up and looked between Meredith and Derek before he cleared his throat.

"I can still remember the day I sat in the waiting room of the hospital with Meredith when she was four years old. We had been watching one of the many princess movies. Her eyes sparkled as the prince saved the princess and she told me that someday she would find her prince too. And I think she did a pretty good job at finding him. Derek had been one of my favorite student's back in New York, and sure Mark and Addie were pretty good too, but Derek just had this thing about him that made him different. At that time, I never thought that he would be the one to sweep my little girl off of her feet, but I couldn't have asked for someone better. And as everybody has already mentioned, they didn't start off on the best foot, but it didn't matter because they are here today. My little princess found her prince and they'll live happily ever after." Derek reached for Meredith's hand as he noticed that the tears in her eyes had started leaking over. Although Cristina's words had shocked her, Richard's words had touched her more than everybody else's, and he knew that whenever Richard brought up the days back when she was a little girl, she always got a little emotional.

"I know it's not customary for the guests outside of the wedding party to do speeches, but if this were a regular wedding, we wouldn't have had to keep our mouths shut for the last two weeks, let alone do so much work on someone else's wedding, so I think it's only fair that we get to speak our mind." Jackson said as him and Alex got up from their seats. "We've already informed Derek that if he ever does anything to hurt Mer, we will kick his ass, but we have no fear that we will need to pull out the big boots. I haven't known either of them very long, but it seems that in these last two weeks we've gotten to know each other and not only that, but found out that we go way back," Jackson smiled at Meredith. "I found not only a friend in Meredith, but the amazing sister she could have been. We've known for two weeks about our being siblings, and already we've been told several times that we fight like brother and sister. It makes me smile each time. And in Lexie's words, you're okay too Derek," he finished with a laugh as he sat down and left it to Alex to finish off.

"Meredith and Derek gave their special day up for us, and for me, today was my chance at finally repaying them for that. Meredith was there for me when everyone else thought of me as the soulless ass-hole. But Derek was there when I needed him most. He saved the one thing that I couldn't live without and so I realize what this day means to them. It means that in health or in sickness, nothing will break them apart and I'm thankful to both of them for making me realize that." Meredith glanced over to Izzie and noticed that she too had tears in her eyes.

Alex sat back down and Natalie took full advantage to get her two cents in. "I just wanted to say that I can't wait to get to know you Meredith and to tell you all of the embarrassing stories I know Derek would never even speak of. And I think I'm speaking for all of us Shepherd sisters when I say welcome to the family and I'm glad you've already realized that you belong on our side." She winked as Meredith giggled slightly.

Just as they thought that would be the end of it, everyone was stunned as they saw the one they least expected to say anything get up. "I know, I know," she said as she raised her glass. "Nobody expected me to be here today, let alone saying something, but I just wanted to say how happy I am that Meredith and Derek have accepted me in their lives and I just want to say that it's nice to see Derek happy again. I realized the first day I was in Seattle that Derek loved her more than the average man loves a woman, and I've come to accept that. Nobody needs to worry about me getting in the way, so forget about it." She looked around the room and when her eyes landed on Mark, it reminded her of something. "Oh and I also wanted to let Mark know that he now has competition for his spot as best friend because I want that spot back." Derek smiled as Addie sat back down and smiled towards the couple. Meredith still sat shocked, but she finally smiled when Addison looked her in the eye, confirming what she had just said was nothing but the truth.

Just as everyone got back to their own conversations, they saw Shawn stand up and everybody quieted down. "Don't worry," he said as he noticed everyone looking at him expectantly. "I'm not going to bore you with one of my speeches, because I usually have that effect on people when I do speeches. I only have a few words other than congratulation and those would be, let's eat!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After supper had ended and the cake had been cut, Izzie insisted they do some of the traditional wedding stuff. Meredith agreed on tossing her bouquet, not wanting to do some of the other things that they could have done.

While the women all gathered around the bride so they could catch her bouquet, Mark pulled Derek in a corner.

"I need to ask you something," he said, a little nervous about what he was going to do.

"I'm listening," Derek answered as he looked Mark in the eye.

"I made a promise to mom," he started, which only picked at Derek's curiosity. "After she found the ring, she made me promise I'd propose before she left."

Derek smiled and then he had an idea. "Do you know what?"

"What?" Mark asked, confused by what was going on in Derek's head.

"I think you just suggested a way to make this night even better."

"What!" Mark exclaimed. "You want me to do it tonight?"

Derek nodded. "Why not? It's the perfect opportunity. The mood, the setting. Plus, there's a few extra honeymoon suites and you could have hot engagement sex in one of them tonight."

Mark smiled at the thought.

"How am I going to do it?"

Derek thought about it, then an idea clicked into his head. "I've got an idea."

"What is it?"

"I can't tell you," Derek answered causing Mark to give him and odd look.

"How am I supposed to use your idea if you won't even tell me what it is?"

Derek smiled as he thought about his idea. "If I tell you now, you won't do it. If it lands on you, you won't have time to not do it. You'll just know."

Just then they heard cheering and they guessed that someone had caught the bouquet. They couldn't see who it was since everybody had crowded around whoever it was.

"It looks like faith is planning it for you," the heard Carolyn say as she walked up, not having heard the previous conversation. "Your hopefully bride to be just caught the bouquet."

Derek smiled as Mark's face became somewhat nervous about what was going to happen that night. "Don't worry mom, it'll happen when it happens," Derek said with a chuckle.

XOXOXOXOXOX

"Okay, settle down everyone," they heard someone announce through the surround sound set up on the small stage in the front. "I'd like to ask the bride and the groom to come to the dance floor for the first dance."

Meredith looked at Derek, knowing that he didn't dance, let alone in public. All she got from him was a great big smile as he put out his hand to take it in hers.

"Shall we?" he asked as she took it with a giggle.

"Derek, I'm sorry to break it to you, but you can't dance," Meredith said as Derek wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"Well I can and I'm going to tonight."

Meredith sighed but couldn't help but smile as she did so. She looked Derek in the eye and saw that there was more of a sparkle than usual.

"Today was amazing," she said as she rested her head on Derek's shoulder. After having signed the marriage certificate, they were led outside to the beach to take pictures. This took almost two hours alone, but everyone seemed to have had a good time. Afterwards, they came back inside to look at the montage Mark and Richard had put together, them being the two who were able to get the most pictures. They laughed at some of the pictures and others brought smiles to Meredith and Derek's lips.

They had then been brought to their seats and conversations had brewed up. It was then that the speeches had started.

"It was absolutely perfect," Derek breathed into her ear.

They danced in silence for a few moments before Derek kissed Meredith on the cheek. "I love you, more than I even know how to express."

Meredith smiled. "And I love you with all of my heart. Except for our little one. I need to save some place for her."

"Him," Derek corrected with a laugh. "I've been surrounded by girls my entire life. It's time there was a boy in the family."

Meredith smiled. "But Derek, if we have a girl, you'll love her all the same, right?"

Derek stared at Meredith. "Of course! She'll be my little princess!"

Meredith pouted. "I want to be a princess too."

Derek laughed. "Okay, you can both be my princesses."

Derek gave Meredith a kiss just as the song ended and changed into the next one.

"May I steal her from you for a little while?" Richard came up behind them.

"Of course," Derek answered as he pulled away slowly and started to walk off the dance floor, only to be stopped by his mother. "Now where do you think you're going? You haven't danced with your mother yet."

Derek smiled and took his mom's hand and led her to the dance floor.

"I miss you so much," she said.

"Me too mom, but at least this time we get to spend more time together."

"Yeah, but when I leave, there will be a hole again."

"When do you leave?" Derek then asked.

"Haven't booked a flight home yet, just playing it by ear. Why? Do you want to get rid of me?"

Derek laughed. "Of course not! I want to know how much time I get to spend with the woman who raised me to be who I am today," Derek stole the line his mother always used.

A few feet away, Meredith was dancing with Richard, the man she wished was her father. She had seen him as her father lately, especially since they found out about the baby, but today just proved that even though he wasn't her father by blood, he was her father in every other way.

"Thank you for walking me down the aisle."

"I was honored," Richard replied.

"I can't think of anyone I would have rather had," she said with smile.

Richard's smile became much bigger as she spoke those words.

"Can I ask you a favor?" she said after a few moments of just dancing.

"Sure anything."

"I need to change everything that I have at the hospital. My coat, my card and the pile of everything else…"

Richard gave her a funny look. He thought about why she would have to change everything, and then it hit him.

"I'll get it done before you're back to work. It'll be my gift to you."

"Thank you."

"May I ask, why did you…?"

Meredith smiled. "I'm tired of being a Grey, always associated to my mother. And the Shepherd's have already made me feel like one of them. Kathleen asked me earlier, about whether I was changing my name, and at that point, I hadn't really thought about it. But when she said it, I knew what my decision was. I want to be able to share the same name as my kids do, and I want people to know that Derek is taken," they both chuckled slightly. "It feels like the right thing to do. And it was entirely my decision. Derek doesn't even know."

"I think that might be a good thing to tell him."

Just then, Meredith felt someone tap her shoulder. She noticed the smile on Richard's face so she turned around. "I would like to know if the bride will dance with her new best friend since it seems that my position as Derek's best friend is about to be stolen."

Meredith laughed as she looked towards Richard who gratefully nodded and walked off the dance floor. She put her arms around Mark's neck and smiled.

"Eventually, this will be you today," she said as she glanced at Lexie who was talking to Molly.

"Yeah, sooner than you think." Mark looked at Meredith, wanting to get her approval on proposing tonight. "Derek has already told me I have to, but I want to make sure it's okay with you. Derek wants me to propose tonight."

Meredith's face lit up. "Of course Mark! Do it now!"

Mark laughed. "No, Derek's planning something, and knowing Derek, it'll be corny."

Meredith laughed. "Oh it definately will be."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

It had been an hour since the dance had started. The other Shepherd's were arriving, family by family, and Meredith was being introduced to all of them, first by Derek, than by Kathleen and Natalie, and eventually by Carolyn.

"So this is your beautiful new daughter I see," a man said as he walked up to them.

"Yes it is. Meredith, meet Greg, Derek's father, William's, twin brother."

Meredith shook his hand. "It's nice to meet you," she said with a smile.

After a little bit of small talk, Meredith was freed and she found her group of friends all dancing in a corner. Even Alex and Jackson were up. She joined into the group and smiled.

"Look who finally came and joined us," Cristina said with a smirk.

"Yeah, I've been busy with introductions. I've barely had a chance to dance."

"Well it looks like you'll have to dance with us now," Izzie said as she pulled onto Meredith's hand and they were brought deeper into the group of people on the dance floor.

They danced until the song ended and Meredith noticed Derek up on the stage with the DJ and was a little curious. She watched as he took the mic and started to calm the room down.

"I promised my best friend I'd do something special for him tonight, and I know how much this song means to him. It's got history between us and you all may laugh, but when we're drunk, we regret which songs we pick to sing and dance to. This one goes out to you Mark."

When the song started, Meredith knew what it all stood for. She glanced over towards Mark who was inviting Lexie to dance with him and she smiled as she shifted her attention back over to Derek and silently congratulated him on a job well done.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Mark knew as soon as the song started that this was the moment. He swore to Derek in his mind. He was going to kill him for this. But if it worked, he realized he couldn't complain. So he went along with it.

Sadly, he knew the words to the entire song, but that only meant that he would be able to plan this perfectly. The song, _Love Story,_ brought back some fond memories and it was about to create some new ones.

"Lexie, would you like to dance with me?"

She giggled and grabbed his hand. "How did this end up the song Derek dedicated to you?"

Mark explained to her that the night before Derek had proposed, they had gone out drinking. Derek had wanted to apologize for what he had done and also wanted to tell Mark that he was ready to propose. Although Derek had stayed sober that night, having done too much drinking already that week, Mark had had too many drinks and he found himself dancing and singing to the song in the middle of the not so crowded bar. He left out the fact that he had replaced Juliet with Lexie each time.

"Lexie, I wanted you to know that I love you and even though we've only been back together for a few weeks, our time apart doesn't feel real anymore. It feels like it never existed, and I've decided in my head that it never did. And I know that you're not just any other girl. You're much more than that. You're the love of my life."

Lexie smiled at Mark's words. "I love you Mark and I know that I wouldn't want to spend my life with anybody else."

Mark knew that that was her telling him that she was ready for forever with him.

_Romeo save me, I've been feeling so alone_

_I keep waiting for you but you never come_

He prepared himself and put his hand in his pocket to grab the velvet box. They were on perfect timing with the song

_Is this in my head, I don't know what to think_

_He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring_

Mark did exactly what the song said and earned quite a gasp from Lexie.

"Marry me Lexie?"

Mark noticed the tears building in Lexie's eyes as she nodded.

"Yes, Oh my gosh, of course!" she whispered.

Mark slipped the ring on her finger and then rose to his feet and placed a long kiss on her lips. They didn't notice the cheering and whistling until they parted their lips and Mark glanced over to Derek who was now standing with Meredith, a great big smile on both of their faces and his thumbs up in congratulations.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Not too long after that, a new slow song came on and Jackson made his way over to Cristina, wanting to get his dance in. "Care to dance?" he asked as she turned to face him. There was a smile playing at her lips as she nodded and they made their way to the dance floor.

"What an amazing day," he said as they rocked their bodies to the beat of the music.

"I can't believe we pulled it off!" Cristina exclaimed as she glanced over to her best friend now dancing with her husband.

"It came as a surprise to all of us. Even Izzie."

Izzie and Alex were also dancing. It seemed that almost everyone had coupled up and were dancing. Even some of the kids danced with each other, cousins or not.

"And I think Mark's proposal just made the night that much better."

They continued dancing for a few moments and that's when Jackson remembered his morning.

"Oh my gosh! I forgot to tell you!"

"Tell me what?" Cristina asked.

"I was at the hospital this morning when I happened to run into someone. That someone is looking for a position in cardiothoracic and he just happens to be amazing!"

Cristina smiled excitedly. "Who is…" she trailed off as she noticed a familiar figure leaning in the doorway. "Oh no," she said and with that, she ran to the door leading outside and out into the fresh air where she filled her lungs as she had trouble to breath. He was back. And Cristina didn't know what she was supposed to do.

**So Cristina knows. And Mark has proposed. And Meredith's a Shepherd. Hmmm, things are starting to get good. **

**Review Review Review PLEASE !**


	21. Unexpected guest

**Disclaimer: I do not own the amazingness that is Grey's Anatomy, but if I did, the premiere wouldn't be on september 23rd. It would have already passed. And I'd make better promo's for my fans.**

Meredith noticed her person leaving the building in a sprint, and by the look on Derek's face, he had too.

"I'm going to go…" she started.

"Go, go!" Derek said as Meredith left. She met Jackson at the doorway.

"What happened?" she asked him as they headed outside.

"I don't know!" Jackson exclaimed, a little freaked out. "I was about to tell her about the doctor interested in the cardio position and I didn't even get to say who it was and she was out the door. Maybe she saw something, or thought of something, or … I don't even know."

Meredith walked back to the doorway and looked at the spot where Jackson and Cristina had been dancing. She looked straight ahead and noticed the person who was definitely the cause of this.

"Oh my gosh! You said new cardio surgeon, right?"

Jackson nodded. "It's – "

Meredith cut him off. "Preston Burke, right?"

Jackson nodded, not understanding the look on Meredith's face. It was a mix of panic and pain. Jackson tried thinking about all the information he had been given in his last few months as a resident at Seattle Grace, trying to figure out this mystery on his own.

Preston Burke said he had been there since the beginning of Derek and Meredith's relationship. Cristina had said the same. Which meant that they knew each other. Cristina had been an intern with Meredith and Burke, an attending with Derek.

He then remembered the day Cristina had told him about how her fiancé had walked out on her. An attending. One that hadn't come back after the fact.

"Oh crap!" Jackson exclaimed, finally understanding the mistake he had made. "Preston Burke isn't just another amazing doctor to Cristina, is he?" he asked Meredith.

Meredith shook her head. "How'd he know about the wedding?"

"This is all my fault. I didn't know. I shouldn't have told him. He said he was an old friend of Derek's, so I didn't see the problem with inviting him to the dance, and now I could have ruined my relationship with Cristina for good because when she finds out, she's going to blame it all on me and she'll never forgive me –"

"Stop!" Meredith commanded. "Let's go find her."

They looked around the area that the wedding had been held in but she was nowhere in sight. Suddenly, they heard someone come out of the Inn.

"What are you guys doing out here?" Izzie asked. "Because you'll never guess who's here."

"If you're about to say Burke, we've already accomplished discovering that," Meredith said. Izzie noticed something was off and she looked back and forth between Meredith and Jackson and realized what was missing.

"Oh my gosh, Cristina! Where is she? Is she okay?"

"We don't know," Jackson said. "Izzie, you go back inside, keep the party going. We'll find her."

Izzie nodded and Meredith and Jackson decided to head down towards the beach. When they reached the sand, they noticed the foot prints in the sand that led towards the dunes. They glanced towards each other, then headed up the wall of sand.

"Cristina!" Meredith exclaimed as she saw her person sitting in the sand, staring blankly.

"Mer," she turned to her and the expression on her face looked like someone just ran over her dog. "Burke, he's…he's…" she couldn't phrase what she was trying to say.

"I know, and it's going to be okay."

Jackson sat down on the other side of Cristina and wrapped his arm around her waist. "We're here for you. Sure, it came as a surprise to you, and I'm sorry that I have any part in that."

Cristina looked into Jackson's eyes, and then collapsed in his arms.

"I'm going to head back," Meredith said as Jackson comforted his girlfriend. "If either of you need me…"

"We know where to find you," Jackson said as he ran his hands through Cristina's hair as she cuddled herself in his arms.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

After Meredith ran off, Derek looked around to see if anyone else had seen what had just happened. It seemed like Izzie and Alex were the only other ones who had noticed. As he ran his eyes around the room, he noticed someone standing in the doorway.

"No, it can't be," he whispered to himself. He started to walk over towards where the lone figure was standing, and he realized that his assumption of who it had been had been real.

"Preston Burke?" he half asked as he saw his face.

"Derek, I'm sorry I ever came. I shouldn't have. I didn't want to disturb your night. And it looks like I've chased off the bride."

"Stop," Derek ordered. "It's okay, and it's good to see you, even if these aren't the best circumstances."

"All these years. I thought things would have changed. But you and Meredith. And I see everyone is still here." He looked around the room and saw his past coworkers. He noticed Alex and Izzie were looking at him in bewilderment. He then noticed Izzie leave the same way Cristina, Meredith and the other doctor had.

"How did you know we'd all be here?" Derek asked

"Well I ran into Dr Avery this morning and when I asked for you he, told me that you were out. I told him we had been friends and he told me about the wedding, giving me the address and time. I never thought about the consequences of me coming."

"Did you say Dr Avery?"

"Yes."

"Which means Cristina never told him everything," Derek whispered to himself, but Preston caught on.

"I take it they're together," Preston said, sounding a bit disappointed.

"She's happier than I have ever seen her. And I know it may hurt you, but I think he's the one for her."

Preston nodded just as someone else approached them.

"Burke?" the female asked.

"Addison? What are you doing here?" Preston asked, trying to figure out why Derek's ex-wife would come to his wedding.

"I'm here for the wedding?" she stated, as if it had been obvious, which it had been.

"But…"

"Derek and Meredith have become two of my very good friends," Addie said, "and I wasn't missing out on the event of the year at Seattle Grace."

More and more people had noticed the new comer and there were people coming to greet him. Richard, Miranda and Callie, along with Mark who dragged Lexie with him while explaining the situation, all came to see why their long lost co-worker had shown up.

"This day just keeps on getting more interesting," Mark said as he kissed Lexie and the head.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

When Meredith re-entered the Inn, she couldn't help but notice the crowd that had formed around their newly arrived guest.

She approached and after saying a quick hi to her old attending, she pulled Derek out of the circle.

"How's Cristina holding up?" Derek asked.

"Not so well," Meredith admitted. "Jackson's trying to comfort her, but he's probably just as shook up about this as she is. He didn't know that Cristina's ex-fiancé had been Burke."

"I kind of already guessed that. Let's go see if they need us."

But before they had the chance to leave, Carolyn stopped them.

"What's going on?" she asked, wanting to know what all the commotion was about.

"Preston Burke, one of our old co-workers showed up, and he didn't realize that Cristina, who happens to be his ex-fiancé would be here."

"So Miranda wasn't kidding when she told us that Seattle Grace was the most dramatic hospital in the country."

"She wasn't far."

Carolyn looked at Derek then to Meredith. "Go make sure your person is okay."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Is he coming back to Seattle Grace?" Cristina asked after several minutes of silence. She hadn't said anything since Meredith had left, but she felt bad for what Jackson was probably feeling. He didn't know, and that had been her fault. She should have told him everything, including who it had been.

"I don't know," he said as he rubbed her back. "I don't know."

"What happens if he does?" she asked in almost a whisper.

"You'll make it through this. We'll make it through this. I'll be there for you no matter what. I'm not going anywhere."

Cristina wrapped her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. "I know that. I trust you."

Jackson knew that that alone was big, due to the things she had been through. If she could trust him, it meant that she really did care about him, that they were real, and that this incident wouldn't change anything between them.

"Cristina, Jackson!" Meredith walked up to them, followed by Derek. "Cristina, how are you doing?"

"I'm okay," she nodded. "I'm sorry I ruined your day."

"You'll never ruin anything. You're my person and I'll be there for you no matter what. I'll even come to your rescue if I were in the middle of labour."

Cristina laughed slightly. "Thanks."

Jackson helped her to her feet. "Do you want to head up to the room?" he asked.

Cristina shook her head. "The party isn't done yet!"

The three others exchanged looks as Cristina looked at all of them. "I'm going to have to face him eventually. I can do it." She took a deep breath and they walked back up to the Inn.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Things had gone back to normal. Mark had noticed that Meredith and Derek, along with Jackson and surprisingly Cristina were all back. He was sitting at a table, tired from all the dancing, with Lexie, Richard, Owen, Adele and Preston.

"Burke, meet Lexie Grey and Owen Hunt."

Preston looked at Lexie. "Grey?"

Lexie nodded. "I'm Meredith's half sister. I'm a resident at Seattle Grace. I started at the same time as you left."

"Nice to meet you," Preston nodded then shifted his attention to Owen. "Nice to meet you too."

Owen nodded, a little nervous. He knew about Preston Burke. And he hadn't heard it through Cristina. But him and this fellow attending seemed to have a lot in common, both having broken Cristina.

"You too."

There was a small silence before Mark decided he'd speak up. "We never thought we'd see you around again."

Burke nodded. "Well, Seattle was calling my name. And when I saw the opening, I took it as a sign."

"So does that mean you're here for good?" Richard asked.

"I'm not sure yet. I didn't expect to cause such a big ordeal by showing up in Seattle and maybe it was a mistake coming back."

"You know, Cristina may never see you the same as she had before, but she needs you back as her teacher. Since you've left, she's had one good teacher that she's looked up to, and she's leaving tomorrow." Mark glanced at Owen as he said that. He knew that neither one of them wanted to leave, but they had no choice. "You could really do some good to her. She's got what it takes to be an amazing surgeon."

"I know," Preston said with a smile.

"She just needs someone who can show her through it."

"I'll think about it," he said.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Meredith!" Sienna exclaimed as she came back down from putting her son to bed after Hailey, Jayden and Carlie had suggested babysitting for all the parents who wanted to stay up and party. They had put all of the kids to bed in the kid's suites, and the three teenage girls had settled in with them, assuring the parents they would do a good job. And if the Shepherd sister's trusted their children in the hands of these sweet girls, she, Molly, Catherine and Miranda took full advantage.

"Sienna!" Meredith turned around from her seat on the couch in the lobby.

"Shouldn't you be out there partying?" she asked as she sat down beside her cousin.

"I think I've done enough partying for tonight. Besides, I'm getting really tired."

"Definitely not a usual Grey feature. What's wrong with you?"

Meredith laughed. "Are all Grey's full of energy?"

"It sure seems like it. I've spent a little over twenty four hours with Lexie and Molly and I don't think I've seen them yawn or even look remotely tired. And Molly, with a daughter on top of that. I've lost a lot of that since Cody. But I've never been as tired as you look right now."

"It's been a long day," Meredith admitted. "Definitely a good one, but it took a good toll on me."

Sienna nodded. "I was warned by Alex that tonight might be full of drunken people, but I don't think I've seen one person stumble over yet."

Meredith raised her shoulders. "I can't help you there. I guess because there are a lot of younger people here than usual. The usual drinkers probably just felt the need to control it in presence of the little ones."

Sienna laughed. "I was told you were the biggest drinker of them all, yet I haven't seen you with a single drop of liquor. And I saw Mark with the bottle of grape juice, so I know that your wine wasn't actually wine. And like I said you seem much too tired for a Grey..."

Meredith sighed. "Wow, you're good."

Sienna laughed. "Hey, I could be way off. You haven't told me the cause of all this weirdness yet." She winked.

"Well, if your guess was that I'm pregnant, you've guessed right."

Sienna smiled. "In that case, I am good. But I do have to give my OBG knowledge a little credit."

"I wish we could have spent the last twenty years together. I really miss those days when we were kids." Meredith slouched into the couch.

"Yeah, but who says we can't catch up now?"

"You're only here for a few days! There's no way we'll have a chance to catch up on twenty years."

Sienna smiled. "My husband just got a transfer to Vancouver, which is only a few hours' drive from here. We're moving at the end of May. We could do girl weekends halfway in between."

Meredith smiled. "Sounds like a deal."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Lexie still couldn't help but stare at the ring on her finger. She was engaged. She couldn't believe it. It felt so unreal. Mark kept smiling at her and she couldn't believe the luck she had. Sure, he had started out as the man whore, but she was the first one to discover that there was more to him than most people saw. He was a sweet and kind guy who was looking to start a family. A real family.

"I noticed you've been playing a lot with your ring," Preston said which caught Lexie off guard. Derek and Mark had gone dancing with the sisters and Lexie decided she'd stay back and relax a little. She was sitting alone with Burke and they had both stayed fairly quiet.

"Yeah, just got engaged."

"Well your fiancé is one lucky man. Although if I were him, I'd watch out for Mark. He seems to have his eye on you."

Lexie laughed. "Good sign."

Preston gave her a confused look.

"Mark's my fiancé," she said with a laugh.

Preston's eyes widened. "Mark? As in Mark Sloan?"

Lexie giggled. "That's the one."

"I'm so sorry. I just... it's just..."

"He's Mark?" Lexie tried finishing for him. "I know. But he's not the same Mark he was when I started at Seattle Grace, which would be the Mark you know. He's a great guy."

"Well then, congratulations."

Lexie turned back around towards where everyone was dancing just as Amy came and sat beside her. "Looks like we've gained two sister's this trip," she said with a laugh. "Derek and Mark with sister's. Who would have thought?"

Lexie smiled as they continued talking about pretty much anything that came to mind. Burke decided he'd escape for a little while and get some fresh air.

Rather than heading out the door that led directly outside from the hall, he thought it would be a better idea to go out the main door so no one would see him sneak out.

He walked out the entrance he had come in and paused when he saw the person he had scared off earlier sitting there alone, staring into the sky. He didn't know what to do or say.

"It's very rare that you see the stars in Seattle," she whispered. "With the clouds and all. And I've known you to be the one to shoot for the stars. Why did you come back?"

Burke didn't know how she knew it was him. He stood there, not able to say anything, and when he didn't answer she turned around. Her eyes were tired and it looked like she had cried. But the Cristina he knew rarely cried.

"Something told me I needed to come back. And when I saw the opening, I took it as a sign."

She nodded and invited him to sit down. They sat in silence, looking at the stars for several minutes before Cristina decided she'd asked the question that had been bothering her since the day he had disappeared. "Why did you leave in the first place?"

Preston shook his head slowly. "I don't know," was all he could come up with.

Cristina accepted this response and they went back to silence. Just then, they heard the door open behind them and they turned around to see who it was.

"I was just... just coming to see if... if you were alright," Jackson stuttered as he saw Cristina sitting with Preston. He had really believed that Preston showing up wouldn't change his relationship with Cristina, but had he been wrong?

Cristina smiled at him, something that Preston instantly noticed. "I'm actually headed back in." She turned around towards Burke. "Are you coming in too?"

He shook his head and just watched as Cristina grabbed Jackson's hand and headed back into the Inn. Derek had been right. Cristina had never been this happy in all the months they had been together, which made him realize that his leaving was for the better. But this time, he promised himself that there would be nothing other than a teacher student relationship and maybe a possible friendship. He didn't want to take her away from the person who seemed to make her so happy.

_Dr Avery is one lucky guy, _he thought.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

Things were starting to quiet down and most of the Seattle crew had either gone to their room or had headed home. Everyone with small kids had also retreated from the dance floor and had gone their way. And the Shepherd's who had just arrived that evening had left to go to their rooms, having had a long travelling day. The only people left were Meredith, Derek, Mark, Lexie, Carolyn, Kathleen, Nancy, Richard, Adele, Addison and Jackson. They all sat around a table, since the DJ had left and they clearly weren't enough for a dance anyway.

"How's Cristina holding up?" Derek asked Jackson when he had joined them.

"I think she'll be okay. She talked to Preston."

"She did?" Meredith asked a little surprised.

Jackson nodded and that concluded the updates on their friend.

"On a lighter note, it looks like we'll be back in a few months," Nancy exclaimed as she looked towards Mark and Lexie.

"We've decided we'd take a small break from wedding organizing and wait a little while so we can recover from this one," Mark said with a laugh. "But if we want to have it in Seattle, this time of year is the best time of year to have it. It only rains one out of three days rather than almost every day."

The Seattle crew laughed at the reality of that statement. There was a short silence before Derek spoke up. "I just wanted to say how thankful I am for all of this. And I know Meredith is thinking the same way. This has been an incredible day and I can't imagine how to make it any better."

Kathleen looked at Meredith and when Meredith noticed her looking straight at her, she discreetly motioned to Nancy and Carolyn, then to Derek and finally finish off by pointing at her stomach. When Meredith smiled showing Kathleen she understood, she winked in response.

"I think I know how," Meredith said as she took Derek's hand and placed it on her stomach under the table so no one saw her action. Derek looked at her, as if to confirm what she was telling him to do and she nodded.

"Mom, Nancy, Kath, get ready for your own surprise."

Carolyn raised her eyebrows. "What kind of surprise?"

"How about another grandchild?" Derek said with a smile.

"Derek! Meredith! Oh my goodness! Another baby! How far along are you? When did you find out?"

Meredith giggled. "I'm about six weeks along and we've known for about two weeks."

Carolyn gave Derek a stern look. "You've known for two weeks and you waited until now to tell me? What's wrong with you Derek?"

"I wanted to tell you in person," he said in his defence.

"Congratulations," Nancy said with a smile. "You'll have to tell Amy and Natalie tomorrow."

"Um, they sort of already know," Meredith said hesitantly. She looked at Derek. "It slipped, okay? I threw up while we were getting ready and I made a comment that I shouldn't have."

Derek smiled. "That's okay. Who all was there that didn't already know?"

"Just Amy, Natalie and Kathleen." Meredith watched as Nancy looked at her sister, incredulous.

"You've known all day and you were able to keep your mouth shut about it?"

Kathleen smiled. "I was told not to say a word, so I followed through with my promise."

"We're trying to see how long it will be before the entire hospital knows," Derek explained.

"And so far, we're not doing so bad," Meredith added.

"How did you find out?" Carolyn asked.

"Miranda sort of helped me realize it and with the amount of throwing up I was doing, it should have been obvious." Carolyn then looked at Derek.

"I happened to walk in when Addie was checking up on a patient, furious that nobody had told me that she had been coming from LA for a consult. I didn't expect Meredith to be her patient."

"And may I add that he fainted when he found out," Addie said as everyone laughed.

"Very manly Shep," Mark said with a laugh.

"It came as a surprise okay?" Derek said, trying to defend his case, but it didn't seem to work.

Derek looked at his watch, using it as a possible way to escape, but he was surprised to note that it was getting really late.

"It's almost two. I think we should call it a night," he said as he got up and pulled Meredith up with him. He remembered the extra room key he had been given. He threw it at Mark. "Your own special suite," he said as they walked off. "Goodnight," he called behind him.

"I think it's time we all call it a night." Everyone got up and headed off each their own way. Jackson made his way up to the room where Cristina had gone to sleep in alone. Izzie and Alex had decided they'd go back to their house, which gave Jackson the opportunity of having a room alone with Cristina. And he had a feeling that tonight would be a quiet night anyway, but at least it was a quiet night he got to spend alone with the one he loved.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"What a night," Derek said as he pulled a naked Meredith closer to him. It was now four in the morning, and neither one of them had had any sleep yet.

"What a day!" Meredith exclaimed. "This morning, I thought we were going to New York. I think it was probably easier that I met your family on home turf though."

"Our family Mer," Derek whispered. "You're part of the family too."

Meredith thought that it would be the perfect time to bring up the whole last name thing, but the thought of his reaction if he found out at the hospital made her decide against it.

"I really like them," Meredith said. "And it'll be easier now with Lexie being part of the family too."

Derek laughed. "I still can't believe Mark hasn't said one thing about the song I picked."

"He's probably too happy to even think about the fool he made out of himself," Meredith said, just as a yawn escaped her lips.

"I think it's time you go to sleep," Derek said as he kissed her head. "You and the baby have had a long day."

Meredith smiled as she instinctively placed her hands over her stomach. "Goodnight," she whispered.

"That it was."

**Okay, so I apologize for the long wait. With back to school and the changes with going into grade 10, it's been a hectic week. But this one's up, finally, and it's the end of the wedding day. The family reunion is to come in the next chapter. **

**I also wanted to add, since it talked about Sienna in this one, that she is Thatcher's _twin _brother's daughter. It is sort of an important detail for the future. But I'm going to stop there.**

**REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW ! (:**


	22. Welcome to the family

It was nearing lunchtime when Derek awoke to the much too familiar morning sound of vomiting. He jumped out of bed and rushed to the bathroom where he found his wife leaning over the toilet bowl, much like the morning before and the morning before that.

"When will this stop!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"Soon, hopefully," Derek answered.

"Derek! You scared me!" She spun around, her very pale face now facing him.

"Sorry," he answered as he sat down beside her. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly on the neck.

"Did I wake you?" she asked, seeming a bit guilty.

"No, and for that I'm mad. I told you to wake me when you're not feeling good, whether it's twelve or if it's three in the morning."

Meredith smiled. "I know, but I barely have time to make it to the bathroom let alone wake you up. And might I remind you, we were both still up at three in the morning."

It was Derek's turn to smile, but when Meredith jumped out of his arms to reach the toilet, he frowned . "Maybe we should hold off on that much sex. It's starting to take a toll on you and the baby."

"Yeah," Meredith answered as she rubbed her belly and lifted herself off the floor, with Derek's help. "That may be a good idea."

They made their way to their bedroom in the honeymoon suite and started going through bags, looking for something to wear on the second sunny day in a row. After having gotten dressed, they headed down to the hall where everyone was already up.

"There's our favorite couple," Mark exclaimed from his seat beside Lexie and Kathleen. "We were wondering when you two would be up."

Derek looked around the tables. Mark, Lexie, Kathleen, Amy and Julian were seated at one. Miranda, Cristina, Natalie, and Carolyn were at another. Sienna, Molly, Nancy and Catherine occupied a third table. And the husbands seemed to have found a way of escaping the woman as he noticed them out the window on the deck. The kids were scattered a little bit everywhere and the other Shepherd's were nowhere in sight.

Derek led Meredith to the table where his mother was seated. They sat between Carolyn and Cristina, Meredith needing to find out how her friend was doing.

"How are you feeling?" she asked as soon as she sat down.

"Good actually. I mean, I guess it's not as bad as it was last night. He's just another doctor. And I finally get the cardio attending I deserve."

Meredith laughed, but smiled at her person. "You're strong, you know that?"

Cristina smiled back. "You had to go through worse with your McDreamy, so you're the strong one."

On Derek's side, when he reached the table, he gave his mom a kiss on the check and a hug before taking his seat. "It's good to see people mingle so much."

Carolyn nodded. "It's amazing how well we've gotten to know people we've only really been talking to for two weeks."

"Two weeks?" Derek asked.

Carolyn laughed. "We had to keep updated on the wedding. We had been convinced that Mark kept women locked in his apartment, because every time we called, another woman would answer."

Derek put the pieces together in his mind and finally figured out the lonely nights at the house. _They were all at Mark's planning this amazing wedding. _

"With Mark's history, it wouldn't have surprised me," Natalie said.

"But we don't need to worry about that now," Carolyn said as she glanced over to Mark and his new fiancé. "He won't be picking up random women in bars anymore."

"We hope," Miranda said as the others laughed. Meredith and Cristina shifted their attention to the others at the table.

"He better not hurt my little sister," Meredith said as she glanced towards them as well. "He better know that I'll beat the crap out him if he hurts her."

"_We'll_ beat the crap out of him," Derek added and watched as Cristina nodded. He knew that they could get an army if they had to.

"It's nice to see that you guys are so close," Carolyn said. "You stand up for each other and are always there for one another."

"We're pretty much like one big family," Meredith said.

"And I happen to be the mama bear of that family and who has to work tonight," Miranda said as she got up. "So I have to get going and hopefully get Tuck out of here before he starts hitting on the little girls."

They laughed. Carolyn said her goodbyes to the woman she had gotten to know in the last few days telling her they'd have to talk soon. Miranda smiled and nodded.

"Who knew I'd become friends with Derek's mother," she mumbled to herself as she walked out.

"She's a very nice woman," Carolyn commented once Miranda had left.

"Three years ago, I wouldn't have said this, but she really is. And she's been a great help lately with everything that was going on," Meredith said, not noticing the worry stretching across her mother-in-law's face until she had stopped speaking.

"Everything that has been going on?" she asked.

"With the pregnancy and all. She's been really helpful, having been through it before and like she said, she's the mama bear at the hospital." Meredith wasn't ready to talk about the problems she had been having with the pregnancy and even less about the incident with Derek and Jackson. Derek understood and decided he'd butt in.

"So where is the rest of the fam?" he asked, as he noticed that none of the other Shepherd's were in the hall.

"They already left for town," Carolyn answered. "They wanted to do the touristy stuff before the family reunion. They'll be back for the barbeque tonight."

Derek nodded as he felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around only to spot the little girl he had gotten to know so well during her stay at the hospital.

"Dr Derek, can I give Meredith her present now?" Stephanie whispered.

Derek smiled. He had forgotten about the little surprise Meredith's patient had prepared for her with his help. They had spent part of the morning together a few days before making it while Meredith did her rounds.

"Sure," he said as he glanced at his wife who was now talking to Natalie and Cristina. The little girl smiled and turned around to then tap Meredith shoulder.

"Meredith, I made you something special," she said as she handed her a piece of paper. Meredith smiled down at her favorite little person and then looked down at the drawing she had given her.

"Thank you," Meredith said, feeling tears rise in her eyes. "It's the best gift ever."

Stephanie smiled and gave Meredith a great big hug before running off to find her new friends. Meredith glanced back at the drawing. On it was what she had guessed to be her and Derek, holding hands with a baby in her arms. There was a dog at her feet and a house in the background. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of all of this becoming a reality.

"Are you okay?" Natalie asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," Meredith answered as she wiped away the tears. _Perfect._

XOXOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Izzie had been up early that morning, waking up in her cozy chalet. The wedding had gone perfectly, even with their unexpected guest, and Izzie couldn't have been happier of their success. She would have to find a way of rewarding everyone's hard work, and a house warming party seemed to be the perfect opportunity to have their own special day.

Alex had to get into work very early that morning, and she felt bad for him since he couldn't have gotten much sleep the night before. The partying had gone on quite late, and was still going on when they left at one in the morning. But she was sure he probably felt it was worth it.

Just as Izzie was about to get dressed for the morning, she noticed that some of her clothes had been missing. _Must have forgotten a box at Meredith's _she thought to herself. Not wanting to disturb the couple on the morning after their wedding, and knowing that the house was surely empty, she decided to go find the box on her own. She still had the key to get in, so it wouldn't be hard to go alone.

Once at the house, she made her way to her and Alex's old room without even glancing into the rest of the house. The box was exactly where she thought it would be. On her way out the door, she noticed the mess of stuff in the living room. Cristina had already moved all of her boxes out, getting ready to move them into Jackson's apartment, so it was emptier than it had been the last time Izzie was here, but there were still a lot of things lying around.

Izzie, not knowing what to do with herself now that she didn't have the wedding organizing to keep her busy, decided she'd do something nice for the couple and clean out what she could. She pilled the DVD's properly and brought all the dirty dishes to the kitchen. Just as she was about put all the medical journals back in their holder beside the couch, something unusual caught her eye.

A pregnancy book.

_Why would this be with all the medical journals? _she thought to herself. Then it clicked. The throwing up, Meredith mood swings, Derek's over protectiveness. It made sense.

_But why didn't she tell me?_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Lexie was shimmering. She hadn't been happier in her entire life. Her and Mark were on their road to a life together. She still couldn't believe the proposal. It had been absolutely corny, sure, but it had also been perfect. She couldn't think of anything that would have been better.

She looked across the room to where Meredith and Derek sat. Meredith was glowing too. And it wasn't just from being pregnant. There was a light in her eye that Lexie had never seen before. And Meredith had the most beautiful smile on her face, you would think a stranger had taken over her body. She wasn't her usual Meredith. _This whole being pregnant thing really fits her, _Lexie thought.

"Hey, I hope you're not too busy for the rest of the week," Mark whispered in her ear.

"I have to work," Lexie grunted.

"Taken care of," Mark said with a grin. "Anything else?"

Lexie smiled. What was he up to?

"Nope. What do you have in mind?"

"Well," Mark started. "The whole reason for this assembly, other than the wedding, is because it's the Shepherd family reunion. I've been part of it since I was 8, and that makes me an official Shepherd, which means that makes you part of the family too. So, I was thinking…"

Just then, Carolyn snuck up behind him.

"Asked her to stay for the family reunion yet?" she asked.

"Just about to mom," Mark replied with a sigh. "Looks like Carolyn beat me to the chase."

Lexie didn't know what to say. Then she remembered Meredith. _If Meredith can do it, so can I, _she thought as she nodded.

"Good, it's good to see the family growing and growing. And I hope I'll be getting even more grandkids," Carolyn added with a wink.

Mark could tell Lexie was turning red without even having to look at her face. He thought it would be best to butt in.

"That's Derek and Meredith's job right now," he said. But he hoped just as much as Carolyn that kids would be part of his future.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek and Meredith decided to spend their first day as an officially married couple on their land. Ground was going to be broken the next week to start the house, and Derek wanted one more romantic picnic on the cliff before the long wait until their house was built. But first, he needed to stop into the hospital to pick up the house plans so they could go over them one more time before handing them over to the contractor. He had forgotten them in his desk, not thinking he'd use them in New York.

They were congratulated by some of the employees they had been working with for years now and others that had just started. It seemed like their wedding was the hot topic. _Better that than the hottest topic. _But Meredith also noticed a not to happy nurse. She was sitting at the nurses station, a scowl on her face. Meredith just ignored her, but couldn't help but feel proud of having shut Satan up.

She and Derek walked into his office, only to find it empty. Derek had given Richard his office while he was off, but the man wasn't there. _Must have found himself a good surgery, _Derek thought as his attention was brought to the white lab coat on his desk.

"Why is there a new lab coat on my desk?"

He walked over as Meredith smiled. It looked like he was about to find out.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Izzie made her way back to her house, but before heading in, she decided to head up to the Inn to see if Meredith was still there and inquire on why she didn't know about her being pregnant.

She was disappointed when she noticed that nobody was in the hall. She walked the halls until she ran into Cristina, who looked like she was heading out the door.

"Hey, you heading to the hospital?" she asked.

Cristina shook her head. "Heading to Jackson's apartment to bring my last few boxes. Why?"

Izzie shook her head. "Just wondering."

Cristina continued heading for the main doors, but Izzie followed. When they reached the door, Cristina spun around.

"What do you want?" she asked, sounding somewhat irritated, but the smile at the corner of her lips gave away her amusement. Having Izzie follow her like a lost puppy was quite entertaining.

"I have a question," Izzie finally admitted.

Cristina laughed. "No kidding."

Izzie sighed, but finally put on a serious air. "You don't know if someone happens to be pregnant, do you?"

Cristina's eyes gave away her answer.

"I knew it!" the blonde exclaimed.

"How'd you find out?" Cristina asked as she brought Izzie into one of the rooms.

"I was over at Meredith's and there was a book on pregnancy lying on the floor. I kind of discovered the obvious."

Cristina made her promise not to tell anyone.

"Promise. But who knows?"

Cristina thought about it, then realized that quite a few people already knew.

"So once again, I'm the last to know," Izzie stated after Cristina listed off some names.

"Well, we were afraid of you and your big mouth," Cristina admitted.

Izzie crossed her arms on her chest. "I can keep a secret."

"Good," Cristina answered. "Because this is one you better not blow.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Addison entered the hospital a little before lunch that morning. She had had a great time at the wedding, and it had not only surprised her, but everyone else too. The night had just proved to be one full of surprises.

As she walked into her quiet office, her mind drifted back to the night before.

_It was nearing the end of the night and the DJ was just about done. He was on his last song, and of course, it was a slow song. She had danced with Mark, congratulating him and commenting on his proposal. She had also danced with Derek for a short amount of time, and it hadn't even felt that awkward. She was glad when she noticed Meredith smiling at her, knowing that she wasn't stepping over the line._

_But when that last song came on, and everyone had found their person to dance with, Addison felt a pang of sadness hit her. She wasn't used to being the one on the sidelines when it came to relationships. But it looked like she would have to get used to it._

"_Would you like to dance?" a voice interrupted her inner pity._

_She looked up at a handsome man, with dirty blonde hair and piercing green eyes. He looked to be in his late thirties, early forties and had a smile that made Addie smile automatically._

"_Sure," she answered as she got up and took his hand. They found a quiet corner on the dance floor._

"_I'm Samuel Harrington," he introduced himself. "My brothers and I are the owners of the Inn."_

"_Addison Montgomery. I'm a good friend of Derek and Meredith's."_

"_A doctor I take it?" he asked with a smile._

"_Like the rest of them," she answered with a laugh._

"_What a night. It seems to have gone quite well."_

_Addie nodded. "Better than we had expected. And it fit Derek and Meredith perfectly. They couldn't have planned it any better," she added with a laugh._

_They were quiet for a few moments until Sam spoke up._

"_Are you from Seattle?"_

_Addie shook her head. "No. I'm from New York and lived there most of my life. I came to Seattle to save a relationship that ended up not working anyway, but for the better. I then moved to LA for work, but came back to visit Seattle on hospital terms a few times and missed it so much, that I ended moving back here about a week ago."_

_After Sam took all that in, he asked;_

"_So that means you're living in Seattle now, right?"_

_Addie giggled. "Yes, it does."_

_Sam smiled. "Good, because that will make it easier for me to get to know you."_

Addison's thoughts were brought back to the present by a knocking at the door.

"Come in," she called out.

The door opened to reveal her guest. Richard stepped in.

"Good morning Richard. To what do I owe this morning visit?"

Richard smiled. "Just coming to see how you were doing. Yesterday must have been, you know…" he trailed off, not knowing how to put it.

"Amazing?" she asked, only to receive a puzzled look from her former mentor. "The wedding went perfectly smooth, everyone had a ball at the reception and I was asked out on a date for tomorrow."

Richard smiled. "It's good to hear you enjoyed yourself. And even better to hear about the date," he winked as he headed for the door. "Oh and I'm sure when Adele finds out, she'll want him over for supper."

Addie laughed. "I know."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek lifted the lab coat from the desk and Meredith smiled knowing that this was how he was going to find out. She noticed the new ID card fall out of the fabric, but Derek hadn't. She walked over and grabbed it off the floor, and just as she was about to tell him it was hers, the door opened.

"If it isn't Seattle Grace's hot topic couple," Richard said with a grin. "I see you've found your gift."

"Why a new lab coat?" Derek asked, a little confused. Richard was lost himself as he glanced at Meredith, and the expression on her face told him that Derek didn't know yet.

"Derek, it's not yours," Meredith said with a smile.

"But it says Dr Shepherd…" he looked up at her and noticed she was smiling. She passed him the ID card and when he scanned it he looked back at her, a look of surprise on his face.

"Dr Shepherd," he whispered, still not believing it. Meredith was sure he was going to be mad for not telling him. She decided she'd explain.

"It felt right Derek. Your family has treated me more like a family member in the past twenty four hours than my mother ever did. I was tired of always being associated to Ellis Grey rather than being my own person. I also want to have the same last name as our children. And I didn't tell you because I wanted to see the look on your face when you found out at the hospital," she added with a smile.

Meredith looked him in the eye and still couldn't tell if he was mad or just surprised. His face finally shifted from surprise to a huge grin that plastered his entire face. He walked around the desk and lifted her into his arms.

"Meredith Shepherd," he said with a smile. "I like the sound of that."

"Me too," Meredith added.

"Me three," Richard added, which made Derek and Meredith laugh. Meredith thanked Richard for having fulfilled her wish and complemented him on the fast timing. The happy couple left with the house prints, leaving Richard to his chief duties.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

After Lexie had been swept away by Amy, wanting to get to know her future new sister, Mark thought about asking Carolyn out for coffee to catch up with the woman who practically raised him. She had accepted and the two of them headed to a little café in town.

"It's good to see you so happy Mark," she said after they had relaxed into their seats. "The Mark I remember was always dark and …" Carolyn had trouble finding the word.

"Twisty?" he decided to add, thinking about what Meredith had always described herself to be.

"Not quite the word I was looking for, but it'll do."

Mark laughed and Carolyn continued. "When I came to Seattle last year, I saw something I hadn't seen before. It was small, but the twinkle in your eye told me that you had changed. And when you told me about Lexie, I knew she wasn't just some other girl. And that's why I didn't let your fear of Derek get in the way."

"Lexie's everything I ever wanted and more," Mark admitted. "She doesn't only make me the happiest man on the planet, she also wants the same things I do in the future. She wants kids as much as I do. I still don't know how I got so lucky."

"Well it looks like you'll get to practice with our newest addition," Carolyn said as she thought about her Derek finally giving her a grandchild. She then remembered Meredith's comment from the night before. "Meredith said something along the lines of, 'with everything that was going on' last night. She wasn't just talking about her pregnancy, was she?"

Carolyn could tell by the change of expression that she had guessed right, and that Mark knew something. "I'm not in a position to tell you anything," he explained. "But if I were you, I'd keep an eye on Meredith. She needs all the help she can get."

Carolyn nodded, not too sure what to think.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"You guys will have to come down for Christmas! Oh and Thanksgiving too!" Amy and Lexie were wandering the streets of Seattle. Amy wanted to get to know her soon to be new sister, and the fact that Mark had let her out of his sight, especially alone with a Shepherd sister, still shocked her. But she had found a friendship in Lexie that had almost surprised her.

"I'm not sure if I'd be able to get both holidays off, me still being a resident, but I'm sure Mark will come down," Lexie answered.

Amy gave her a look. "Have you not noticed who is in charge of your schedules?"

Lexie thought about and laughed as the realization hit her. "I guess it may not be as hard as I had imagined it. But Derek giving me both holidays off could seem like favoritism. I can't imagine how Meredith can handle it."

"Well I'm sure mom will force him into getting all four of you to New York for at least one of the two holidays."

"True," Lexie nodded, as she had gotten to know Carolyn and knew how much her word meant to Derek. "A table full of surgeons. Dinner topics must get interesting."

Amy laughed. "You have no idea."

Lexie thought for a moment, and then it hit her. "Nancy is the pediatrician, Natalie's cardio, Kathleen, a psychiatrist, Derek is neuro, Mark, plastics. And you're obviously a doctor…" Lexie trailed off to let Amy answer her silent question.

"Trauma," she answered with a smile. "I was always known to think on feet, so my residents in my intern year had all suggested it."

Lexie thought about Owen and how he was leaving today. Amy read into her thoughts.

"I heard you guys were losing your trauma man," she said a smile playing at her lips. "My husband was offered a transfer to Seattle, but we haven't really made a decision. I looked into the position a few weeks back and noticed that it was taken, but when I overheard yesterday that he was leaving, I thought about it again. It really is a nice city, and change can always be good. But don't tell Derek. Or Mark. You're the only one who knows. I haven't even told my sisters."

After Lexie's initial shock, she nodded and made the action that her lips were sealed. They continued visiting the city, shopping bags dangling from their arms.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Remember last time we were here?" Derek asked as he stroked Meredith hair. Meredith nodded.

"It seems like forever ago," she answered. "But in reality, it's only been two weeks."

"Yeah, a lot can happen in two weeks," Derek said as he pulled Meredith between his legs and wrapped his arms around her stomach, almost hinting at what he was talking about.

"Yeah, more than I thought I could handle," she said, as she placed her hands just above Derek's, showing that she had understood. They were quiet for a few seconds before Derek spoke up, almost in a whisper.

"We said we were going to wait," Derek recalled.

Meredith spun in his arms. "Are you having doubts Derek?" she asked, a small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

"Not at all," Derek said as he kissed her. "I was worrying about you."

Meredith let her smile escape. "I thought I wasn't ready for the whole pregnancy thing, but I realized that I would probably never be ready. But when I saw that plus sign, I knew that I didn't want to go back in time. After the initial shock, it felt amazing to know that there was something growing inside me."

Derek had one of his McDreamy smiles that still blew her away.

"So the family hasn't been too overwhelming yet?" he asked, changing the subject.

Meredith shook her head. "They've been great. I realized I had been worried for nothing. Even Nancy has been surprisingly nice."

Derek laughed. "I thought it impossible."

"Kathleen has been great. She really is like a mother bear. And Natalie and Amy are just as friendly. I think I see a friendship in Natalie, almost like another Cristina. And I know that Amy and Lexie have found quite the sisterly bond. And I guess it makes things easier with Lexie in the mix."

Derek smiled and gave Meredith a quick kiss. "Welcome to the family, Dr Shepherd."

**Okay, hope you guys like. A little slow, but the next few chapters will be. REVIEW and ENJOY !**


	23. Forever ago

**Disclaimer: You all know what should be said here. So why bother ?**

Meredith and Derek arrived back at the Inn just a little before five. They didn't want to miss the big family barbeque, the one that officially started off the family reunion. As a kid, Derek used to hang around with his cousins and Mark while the men barbequed and the women set the tables and chatted. It seemed that things hadn't changed much since he was a kid.

He found Mark along with Julian and Stanley at one of the many barbeques set up outside. The chairs that had been used at the wedding the day before were now scattered a little bit everywhere. There were tables set up all across the lawn, and as he glanced down towards the water, he noticed the kids were playing a game of soccer. Sort of like they used to do.

"Look who finally decided to make an appearance," Julian said with a laugh when Derek approached.

"Hey, in my defense, yesterday was much more tiresome than I had expected," Derek said with a laugh. "I had expected to be able to sleep the entire plane ride and had also planned on an early night in bed."

"On your first day back in New York in four years? You honestly think your sisters would have let you go to bed at all?" Stanley said as the other men laughed.

Derek smiled. "Good point."

Just then, they heard a voice behind them.

"Looks like I've been kicked out of the kid's section."

Derek turned around and smiled when he saw his oldest nephew.

"Andrew! Look at you!"

He hadn't noticed his nephew at the wedding the day before, and he had guessed it was because he couldn't get out of class.

"I didn't see you yesterday," Derek said after letting go of Andy.

"I ended up with the flue," he apologized. "I made it through the ceremony and then made it to my room in time to blow chunks. Hadn't seen daylight after that until this morning, well more this afternoon."

Derek laughed. "Sounds like what Meredith is going through. But it's definitely not the same thing."

Mark laughed. "No definitely not."

The three other men looked at each other and shrugged.

"Morning sickness, all day," Derek explained. Being men, they all nodded and only clued into what he was saying a few moments later.

"Wait." Stanley caught on first. "Morning sickness?"

Derek smiled and nodded.

"Thank god," Julian said. "That means mom will stop harassing Amy and me for more grandkids and move on to you guys."

The men laughed. Derek then pointed to Andrew.

"Hey, you're next buddy."

Andrew stopped laughing as he acknowledge that his uncle was right.

But Derek gave him a few more years. It would definitely take him and Mer a few years to give his mother a proper gang of grandkids.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

As soon as they had walked into the courtyard at the Inn, Meredith had been taken away by Natalie who seemed to have been waiting for her.

"Natalie, where are we going?" Meredith asked as she brought her into the Inn.

"Just follow me and stay very quiet."

Meredith didn't know why, but she followed her new sister's orders. When finally they reached one of the rooms in the Inn, Meredith asked again.

"What are we doing here?"

"You'll see."

Nat opened the door to reveal the three other Shepherd sister's along with Lexie. Knowing Lexie would give her the answers she was looking for, she turned to her.

"What's going on?"

Lexie shrugged. "I know about as much as you do right now."

Natalie invited Meredith to sit on the ground beside her in the circle. Meredith hesitated, but agreed.

"Okay, now we can start," Kathleen said.

"Start what?"

The four Shepherd's looked at each other. "We have a deal for you guys, one that will make you officially part of the Shepherd sisters."

_Uh oh _Meredith thought.

"We haven't seen our brothers in a very long time," Amy started. She looked at Meredith and Lexie.

"But you guys have."

"Where is this going?" Meredith asked, a little worried now.

"We will trade you juicy information on both Mark and Derek if you tell us about the things that have happened in their lives since they left New York," Nancy finally explained.

_That sounds pretty reasonable._

"Okay then," Meredith said. But then she thought about all the things that happened in Seattle. A lot of them weren't things she wanted to share with the sisters.

"We'll start," Natalie said. "I've got a good one. When Derek and Mark were in their last year of high school, they ended up both asking the same girl out on a date without consulting each other. The girl had said yes to both of them. You should have seen the look on Derek's face when the girl showed up at our door looking for Mark. I guess she didn't realize that they were brothers."

It was an okay story, Meredith decided, and definitely something she could use against both of them in the future. But she couldn't think of any funny stories, since most of their relationship had been dark and twisty. But one story had come to mind.

"This happened after Addie showed up in Seattle. And nobody's allowed to judge me. There was this good looking guy standing at the nurse's station, and I went up to see what he was looking for. He didn't even get the chance to introduce himself when a fist came out of nowhere and he found himself on the ground. When I turned around, Derek was shaking off his hand. I asked him why he did that. He then told me it had been Mark."

Meredith looked at Lexie, who was smiling. The four other girls just looked bewildered.

"You mean to tell me that Derek actually punched Mark hard enough to knock him off his feet?"

Meredith giggled. "Yup. Mark also did his own stitches afraid that anybody else would screw up his face."

There the girls laughed. "Sounds like Mark."

The girls had proceeded in telling Meredith and Lexie a bunch of stories about Mark and Derek's childhood. Meredith was glad that they weren't asking for any funny stories in return. Because she couldn't think of any.

"You're turn," Natalie finally said, this time towards Lexie.

"I, I don't really have many stories," Lexie admitted. Then her face lit up. "Okay one, but you can't judge me. I didn't know." After the girls nodded, Lexie continued. "It was the day before I started my internship at Seattle Grace. I had had a long day, and I just wanted to get out and have fun. That's when I discovered Joe's. I had had a few drinks when I noticed a handsome guy sitting at the bar. I went up and started hitting on him, half drunk, and we had talked for a little. But I promise, it went no further than that." The girls gave her weird look and Meredith just smiled. She had gotten luckier than her sister. "I got to work the next morning, and there he was, my boss. And no it wasn't Mark."

The girls clicked in to what she was saying.

"You hit on Derek!" Amy exclaimed.

Lexie blushed. "Yeah, but then I got to know him."

The girls laughed.

"Anymore good stories?" Natalie asked.

"Nothing funny happens at Seattle Grace, well not that I can remember."

"We're not necessarily looking for funny. We just want to know about or brothers in the past four years."

"So you mean, something like the things they went through?"

"Yeah, like how your relationship started, and 'what kind of idiotic things did Derek do now' sort of information. And even more, we want to get to know you guys."

_Oh great. _This wasn't going to be pretty, but she needed to tell her new sisters these things.

"Once again, there's no judging. Who I am now and who I was four years ago aren't the same people."

"Meredith," Natalie started. "We've probably done worse. Or just as bad at least. And we know who you are today. And we like you as our own sister. Stop worrying."

Meredith nodded. "I picked Derek up at a bar. Well, he picked me up. I don't even know. He hit on me, and it sort of went on from there. But did I get a surprise when I showed up at Seattle Grace the next morning and he was my boss. That's when he was labeled McDreamy. And then I kissed him, in the elevator and he wouldn't stop looking at me, and damn, I couldn't stop thinking about him. So we started seeing each other secretly. I didn't want people knowing I was sleeping with my boss, especially when those things weren't allowed in the hospital.

"My friends found out, and then my resident found us in Derek's car. Soon the entire hospital knew. That's when Addie showed up. And introduced herself as Derek's wife. I didn't know what to do. And then she stayed in Seattle, and even though Derek told me it was over between them, he picked her anyway. And I had to work with both of them. Then there was the bomb and –"

"Did you just say bomb?" Amy asked.

"Yeah we had a patient come in with a bomb in him, one that hadn't gone off yet. And I ended up the person who was holding it still inside his body. I was also the one to see it blow up in front of my eyes."

"Wow, and you were still an intern?"

Meredith nodded.

"Wow."

"Anyway, and then there was prom. We had a prom at the hospital for the chief's niece and we all were supposed to attend. And I had a boyfriend. And Derek had Addison. But we still …"

"Still what?" Natalie asked.

"You guys are his sisters. You shouldn't know these things."

They all understood.

"He kept staring at me. And then it happened. After that, Derek told me that he loved me, and that things with Addie were over. And I still had a boyfriend. So I had to pick. And they kept arguing and trying to be perfect. Then the pregnancy scare."

"Pregnancy scare?" Kathleen asked.

"Everybody thought I was pregnant because I kept on throwing up everywhere. It ended up being appendicitis." The girls nodded. "That's the day I picked Derek over Finn."

"So that's your happily ever after day?"

Meredith laughed. "Not even close. It was only after that that Nancy showed up."

"I'm still sorry for that," Nancy apologized.

"It's okay. Then a bunch of things happened and Derek started saying things, like he wanted a family with me, and that he wanted a house and everything. But I wasn't ready. That's when he started dating the nurse."

"Derek dated a nurse?" Natalie asked. Meredith nodded. "I didn't like her. I still don't. But after he showed me the house plans he had drawn up, and told me that he wanted it to be our house, I panicked. And since at that point we weren't really going out, he went and kissed a nurse. Then he went out with her. And then Addie came for the day. And she hugged me. She thought Derek and I were still together, and she wanted to make things better between us. But then she found out about the nurse.

"Derek and I were working on a medical trial together though, and it ended up succeeding. And I still loved Derek. So I went and did something I never thought I'd do. I built the house of candles. On his land."

"House of candles?" Amy asked.

"Yeah I made the pattern of Derek's house plans out of candles. And he showed up. And I told him all the things I didn't think I'd be able to tell him. And then he dumped the nurse."

"Did the nurse actually have a name?"

Meredith scowled. "Rose. Anyway, things started going well, and although I had been very nervous and freaked out, I had even enjoyed your mom's visit. And then there was the baby talk. He said something about how our patient's baby was going to be cute, and I said not as cute as ours. He spent the rest of the day dropping conversations when I came up and almost avoiding me. And then his and Addie's friends showed up."

"That was when Archer had the brain tumor, right?" Nancy asked.

Meredith nodded. "And they talked about Derek and Addie, and their wedding, and everything else. It seemed like only Addison realized that I was in the room. Even Mark had ignored it. But he apologized later. Anyway, after that happened, Derek lost one of the patient's he had really connected with and he went out to his trailer where he drowned himself in beer. And that's when I found out about the ring. Richard had told me.

"I ended up the one they sent out to bring him back. And I told him I knew about the ring. And the expression on his face, it killed me. But then he tossed the ring. And he told me to leave, that he didn't want me there. That was one of the first times I had really cried myself to sleep. I went back out anyway. But this time with my friend's scans. Izzie. She had a tumor on her brain. And Derek came back. And he asked me to marry him. And I told him that I wasn't going to answer because he had a big surgery that day, and I didn't want to say yes just so he'd do the surgery. So after his surgery, he tried again. In an elevator."

"An elevator? I thought Derek was the romantic guy," Amy said with a puzzled look.

"You have no idea. He had completely decorated the elevator with scans from all the most important surgeries we had done. Including my first surgery ever. The patient I had diagnosed. It had been romantic. And sort of corny."

"But not as corny as Mark's," Kathleen said with a laugh. "But it was totally Mark. That's what made it perfect."

Meredith smiled at Lexie. "And Derek's was totally Derek. That's what made it perfect. The rest of the story, you guys sort of already know. Our wedding that we gave to Izzie and Alex. The post-it wedding. And so on."

"Wow, you two have been through a lot," Kathleen spoke first. "I don't know how you guys did it."

"Now I understand what everybody meant yesterday when they said they never thought you two would make it this far," Amy agreed.

Meredith smiled. "But we're here now. And that's all that matters."

The girls all smiled. "Your turn," Natalie said suddenly as she turned to Lexie.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek only noticed Meredith's disappearance an hour after they had arrived at the Inn. He had been too busy catching up with his brother-in-laws and his cousins that he hadn't even realized that he hadn't seen Meredith. Or his sisters.

He looked at Mark. "Do you know where the girls have hidden Meredith?" he asked.

Mark shook his head. "I think they've got Lexie too. Either that or she ran away. But I'd rather the sisters took her. I think."

Julian laughed. "They said something about getting to know them better."

Derek sighed. "They brought up the old stories, I know it."

"Hey, we've all had to go through it," Stanley said. "Except for Cory. Stupid only child."

"Hey I heard that," Cory exclaimed as he approached.

"Just as long as they don't bring out the pictures," Dylan, one of Derek's many cousins said.

"Yeah, that can get pretty embarrassing," Julian sighed.

Just then, Derek noticed a familiar figure submerge from the tree line on the right of the Inn.

"Izzie?" he asked as he saw her approach. "Where'd you come from?"

"Our new house," she said, seeming not to happy. "Where's Meredith?"

Derek laughed. "I wish I knew. Why?"

She looked around the yard. "Can I talk to you? Privately?"

Derek nodded. "Sure. How about you show me to your new place?"

Izzie agreed and they made their way to the pathway that led towards the chalets. When they were out of earshot of the party going on, Izzie turned around to face him.

"Why didn't you guys tell me? Why was I the last to know again?"

Derek understood right away what she was talking about. The baby.

"Izzie, it's nothing personal," he tried to explain. "We found out just after you had arrived, and you were already going through a lot, with whatever happened before you showed up, and with your relationship with Alex. Besides, Meredith was still a little on edge about it, and we knew you'd be way too overjoyed. Meredith didn't need that extra pressure."

Izzie was still mad. "Still," she pouted, starting to calm down. "I deserved to know."

Derek smiled. "And now you do. But you have to promise me you won't tell anybody."

"I know, I know. But now that I know, can I tell Alex? I mean, he's not going to tell anybody, and it seems like the rest of our crew already knows."

Derek nodded. "Sure."

Izzie finally smiled. "Good." She started walking away, but then she remembered something. "How did Addison end up knowing before me?"

Derek laughed. "Don't feel too bad. Addison knew before me."

Izzie's shocked expression told Derek that if he started something he had to finish it. "She ended up being Meredith's doctor. Coincidently. And I hadn't been around. So I had the delight to learn it from barging into her patient's room."

Izzie laughed. "Seems like something that would only happen at Grace."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I heard she looks like a horse," Natalie said, as the other girls laughed.

"I've never noticed it, but I'll definitely keep my eye open next time I see her," Meredith said with a laugh.

"She sounds like an ass hole," Amy added.

"Oh, she is," Lexie agreed.

The topic of Rose had been brought up, and Meredith found herself enjoying the comments her new sisters were making. Usually, Rose just caused worry in her mind. Today, she had fun not thinking about the threat she may be.

As if reading her mind, Kathleen assured her. "Don't worry about the horse. Derek will never EVER leave you for anybody. Especially someone like her."

Meredith smiled. "She's been causing a lot of drama at the hospital these past few weeks."

"Yeah, going around saying nonsense about how Derek is going to pick her over Meredith any day now," Lexie added. "I hope you go into labor at the hospital in front of her. That would be a sight to see."

Meredith giggled slightly.

"So Meredith…" Kathleen decided it was time to change the subject. "We talked about an interesting topic yesterday." Meredith smiled. "Did you…?" Kathleen trailed off and Meredith nodded.

"Not fair!" Natalie exclaimed. "You guys can't do that! It's worse than whispering."

Meredith laughed. "Let's just say that Derek had quite the shock when he found a lab coat with Dr Shepherd written on it and he was told it wasn't his."

Natalie bounced up from where she was sitting. "You're a Shepherd!"

Meredith nodded with a smile.

"That reminds me of the Mrs. Shepherd incident," Lexie said with a laugh.

"Oh yeah," Meredith replied, giggling a little. "Derek's little Mercy Wester assistant will have quite the shock when I announce to her that it's no longer Dr Grey."

Meredith and Lexie explained the day, and how Meredith had been becoming less and less known as a doctor and more as the chief's wife.

"Speaking of chief's and wives, how's Adele doing?" Nancy asked. "I saw her here yesterday, but I didn't get much chance to talk to her. She and Richard seem to be on better terms."

Meredith nodded. "It's been easier on them too now that he's not working the hours he used to work. He's home more often. And on top of that, she's sort of adopted me as her own daughter and we've gotten to know each other so much in the past few weeks. That and she's gotten the chance to get Jackson and Richard on the right track."

They were quiet for a moment not quite understanding. Amy was the first one to speak up. "Jackson looks a lot like Richard. But he said something yesterday about you being his 'big sis'. I'm a little confused."

"As are the rest of us," Kathleen added.

"My mother and Richard had an affair years ago. And Jackson happened to be the result of that. We only just found out recently."

"The last couple of weeks I take it?" Natalie asked.

"What?" Meredith didn't get why she would ask that.

"It seems that a lot has happened in the last few weeks. You keep saying it. I just guessed…"

Meredith laughed. "In that case, we found out two weeks ago."

They all laughed. "He seems like a nice guy," Nancy said.

"He is. He's dating my best friend."

"Cristina, right?" Amy asked.

Meredith nodded.

"What happened at the wedding last night? When she ran off?"

Meredith explained the situation, her past with Preston Burke. They listened attentively, and when Meredith finished, Natalie laughed.

"What doesn't happen at Seattle Grace?"

Meredith laughed. "Anything is possible."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Carolyn was wandering the halls when she heard a lot of laughter coming from one of the rooms. A lot of female laughs. Knowing that there wasn't anybody she didn't know in the Inn, she decided she'd knock to find out who it was.

"Meredith!" she exclaimed when she opened the door.

"Carolyn! Come on in!"

Carolyn looked in the doorway and noticed her four daughters, along with the two newest additions to the family. Well, technically three.

"Mom! Come join our girl talk," Amy invited her.

Carolyn took a seat with her daughters. "What are you guys talking about?"

The six of them looked back and forth between each other.

"Everything," Natalie answered.

Carolyn smiled. _Just like real sisters._

They updated their mother on some of the things they had discussed, and after about fifteen minutes, Carolyn remembered why she had been wandering the halls in the first place.

"I hope you guys don't mind, but I wanted to steal Meredith away from you guys for a little bit." She looked at Meredith. "If that's okay with you."

Meredith nodded. "That's fine by me."

"Well we're heading back to the barbeque," Kathleen announced. "I'm sure the men have probably noticed our disappearance by now."

"I sure hope so," Natalie added as they left the room.

There was just Meredith and Carolyn left in the room.

"You're much different than the last time I was Seattle," Carolyn pointed out.

"A lot has happened since then," Meredith answered. "A lot has changed."

"Including you."

Meredith nodded. "When you came to visit, I was nervous out of my mind. I was never good at family things, and when Derek talked about you guys, you guys were the family I never had. And it freaked me out. So I tried being something I wasn't."

"I know," Carolyn answered. "And it was when you came and told me all of that that I knew Derek wasn't lying about you. And it was then that I noticed what a great person you were."

"It was?" Meredith asked, a little confused.

"You had been honest with me. And I mean, I already knew that Derek didn't need my approval to marry you, he would have done it anyway, but it meant something to him that I had accepted you so easily." She paused, but Meredith could feel that she wasn't done. "When Derek told me that he and Addie were getting serious, it took me a while to accept her into the family. There was just something that didn't feel right. A mother's instinct.

"But with you, I knew it instantly. There was just something about you. That and the fact that Derek smiled when he was around you. I hadn't seen that smile in years. Even before he disappeared, he didn't smile the way he used to. But he did again, and that was when I decided that you were the one. And that's when I accepted you for who you were."

Meredith could feel the tears slide down her cheek. She still couldn't get used to all the emotional change. Being pregnant had changed her in a way that no one had expected.

Carolyn pulled out a tissue from her pocket.

"Here." She passed it to Meredith as she thanked her.

"Now, being a mother, I know when things aren't right." Meredith didn't know where this was heading, but she felt like there were going to be more tears. "And when you said, 'with everything that's going on,' I knew you weren't just talking about being pregnant. And plus, when I asked Mark, his expression told me that I was right."

Meredith looked down at her hands.

"You know you can tell me anything," Carolyn assured her.

Meredith looked up at her, but she didn't answer her questioning right away.

"I never had a mother to confide in when I was a kid. And even less when I was older. My mother wasn't near the mother you are to your children, and I just don't know how I never realized that Derek was raised by such an amazing woman. I wish I had someone like you to confide in when I needed it most."

Carolyn could see Meredith's pain in her eyes. "You have me now. I'll be like the mother you never really had."

Meredith smiled and nodded. "There are a lot of complications with the pregnancy," she finally admitted. "Things that can't be prevented. And it's killing Derek, because he's blaming himself for all of it. Which just kills me."

"What kind of problems?"

"Addie says it's because of the stress from the last few weeks. It's making my body react differently than it should have."

"Stress?" Carolyn asked. Meredith knew that Derek had told her that she could tell his family about the stupid mistake he had made, but she didn't want to put it all on him. So she decided she'd just tell Carolyn.

"Derek found me lying in bed with someone. Don't jump to conclusions. This was right after we found out I was pregnant, but right before Derek found out about my long lost brother."

"You were with Jackson, am I correct?"

Meredith nodded. "He had just told me that he had found out who is birth mother was. I had gotten over the shock, and we were getting to know each other, sibling bonding. But Derek didn't know about our discovery. And he walked in. He didn't give us the chance to explain. And I don't blame him. He was mad. No, he was furious. And I ran off. Then Richard had a heart attack after finding out he had a son and the day continued to be a terrible one. I knew that my friend's were all blaming Derek, but I probably would have reacted in a similar way if I found him lying in bed with someone. So I gave him an out.

"I went to his trailer, hoping that's where he would end up. And that's when it started to hurt. And I noticed the bruising. Derek found me on the ground on the bathroom. He was in worse shape than me. And he was killing himself, blaming himself for my pain. We made up that night, but still today, every time somebody mentions something about my pregnancy being a difficult one, I can see in his eyes that it kills him.

"Then the plane crash happened and I ended up with a pregnant patient. I fainted and that probably just made things worse. When Addie came back, a little less than a week later, she explained that things were going to be tough and Derek snapped. We spent a good part of the day in his office crying."

"Oh Meredith," Carolyn wrapped her in her arms and Meredith let the few tears that had made her way to her eyes slip out. "Shh, it's going to be okay. I'm here for both of you guys, through everything." They sat like that a little while longer, Meredith feeling safe in her arms.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

When Derek noticed that his sisters and Lexie were now amongst the group, but still Meredith was nowhere in sight, he got a little worried. He decided to do a little bit of investigating.

He headed into the Inn, and it was quiet. Completely opposite from the night before. He headed down the hall of closed doors, until he came to one that was partially open. Through the crack, he saw a sight that warmed his heart and broke it all at once.

His Meredith, who he could tell had been crying, was asleep in his mother's arms. He wanted to go, and leave them in peace, but something was pulling him into the room. He gave into the force and, as quietly as he could, he snuck in.

"Derek," his mother said when he came in. "What are you doing here?"

"I was getting worried about my wife. But it looks like she found someone new to confide in."

Carolyn smiled and nodded.

"I'm glad she's so comfortable with you. She has a lot of mommy issues, and with the baby on the way, she was afraid she'd become her own mother. She needs someone to show her what a real mom is like."

"I'm glad I can help," Carolyn said. "And it looks like the baby is already causing a lot of distress on this poor girl. And on you."

She told her. And in a way, Derek was happy. Meredith needed to tell someone. And he knew his mother wouldn't hold it against him. Sort of like Richard. But he also knew that she would help in every way she possibly could, even if that meant staying at Meredith's bedside for months.

_That would explain the tear stained face, _Derek also thought.

"You guys will make it through this Derek," Carolyn said as she grabbed his hand. "We'll make it through this together."

**So this is another pretty slow chapter. Don't worry, good ones will come, eventually. Also, I am putting up a warning now that there is a subject being broached later on in the story that could affect certain people more than others. I don't want to ruin it, so if you have any issues, let me know and I'll inform you on how to avoid it or answer any of your questions about it.**

**Also, I want to comment on how happy I am that Grey's season 7 has finally started ! And tonight was Grey's night ! Good episode tonight (: But Cristina is so different, it's scaring me ... hopefully she doesn't end up to screwed up. **

**.ENJOY!**


	24. Healing wounds and facing problems

The barbeque had been great, and Meredith had a great time meeting new people. Family people. She had even forgotten her talk with Carolyn for a little bit, and it was good to not focus on the bad for a few hours.

The following day had been full of fun and games. They had been divided up by immediate families, most people having had a lot of kids, and they had a major treasure hunt/trivia. Meredith, Derek, Mark, Lexie and Carolyn had been put into a group considering they didn't have enough people in their immediate families. But their lack of creativity put them a few points behind the winning team, which had been Natalie's family.

They had also spent a good part of the day on the beach. The kids had all headed straight for the water as soon as they had made it to the shore, and the adults gradually made their way in. Soon, everybody was in the water in the middle of a mega water fight. Derek was surprised when he saw Meredith go in with his sisters and Lexie, since she hadn't gone swimming since her drowning. But he was proud of her.

After drying off in the sun and heading back to the Inn to get into some clean clothes, they found themselves back in the hall for supper. They had decided that everybody would make something or bring something and contribute it to the potluck. Meredith and Derek, with Carolyn's help, had baked some biscuits and cookies. Meredith felt a sense of accomplishment when they finished.

"_We didn't burn down the Inn!" she exclaimed when Derek pulled them out of the oven._

"_Why would you say such a thing?" Carolyn asked._

"_I sort of started a fire after making tea last week," Meredith admitted sheepishly._

_Carolyn laughed. "It's a good thing Derek can cook then."_

_Meredith nodded and looked at Derek. "Our children won't starve thanks to you."_

_This time they all laughed._

The meal had gone by smoothly and Meredith found herself enjoying Natalie's company. They had gotten so much closer in the last few days, and Meredith loved how she could always bring a smile to her face.

"Looks like it's almost time," Kathleen said as she approached the table where Meredith and Natalie had been sitting.

"Time for what?" Meredith asked.

"Women's night," Natalie answered, a large smile on her face.

"Women's night?" Meredith repeated in question form.

"Every year, during the family reunion, for one evening, we leave the kids with the men and get a chance to all go out together."

Meredith nodded. "What do you guys usually do?"

"We usually go to a movie and then head out to a bar," Kathleen answered.

Meredith smiled. "Sounds like fun. We should go to Joe's."

Natalie smiled. "So we will get to see this infamous bar that every person at Seattle Grace talks about."

"I guess so," Meredith laughed.

"Let's inform the others and we'll head to the movies now. There seems to be a few good movies playing, but Nance and Amy can't agree. The rest of us don't care."

After having convinced Amy and Nancy to agree on one movie, the six of them, along with a few of the Shepherd cousins and Kristen, the probable next member of the Shepherd clan, headed to the theatre in town.

The movie had been surprisingly good, and as they were leaving the theatre, Kathleen approached Meredith.

"We don't have to go to a bar if you feel uncomfortable," Kathleen said, worrying just like a real mother.

Meredith laughed. "It's okay. I know I won't drink, and besides, it's where the Seattle Grace crew hangs out, so it may give me a chance to catch up on Seattle Grace drama."

Kathleen nodded and instructed Meredith to lead the way.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek had been hanging out with Dylan, the cousin who he had been closest to when he was a kid. He was his father's twin brother's son, and since they had grown up down the street from each other, they had spent a lot of time together. His kids Lisa and Trevor were ten and seven.

"They grow so fast," Dylan said when he noticed Derek staring at where the kids had been assembled by the teens for some games. "It seems like yesterday that I held them for the first time. It's a shame you never had kids."

Derek smiled. "Remember, my wife is much younger than I am. We still have a few more years."

"You guys planning on having kids?" Dylan asked.

Derek nodded. "We're actually expecting our first around Christmas time." Meredith and Derek had decided that there wasn't any chance of it getting around the hospital if he told his family, so Derek could tell anyone he wanted that didn't live in Seattle.

"Congrats man," he patted him on the back. "You deserve this."

Derek nodded. "For a while there, I thought it would never happen. And then one day, Meredith had said something about how cute our babies would be, and since then, I've had that tiny flame of hope in the back of my heart. Two weeks ago, she told me that she wanted kids, but that we should still wait a little while. Ironically, she found out the next day that she was pregnant."

Dylan laughed. "Let's just hope they don't turn out like you."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Mark had finally found out where he belonged; with the kids. He had been playing with his nieces and nephews and his cousins' children for the past hour, and he felt like one of them.

"You never really stopped being a kid, did you?"

He turned around only to see the person who knew him as a kid the best.

"Mom, shouldn't you be out with the rest of the women?"

Carolyn shook her head. "I decided I'd stay back. Get an early night. But then I realized that I just wanted to stay out and watch you make a fool of yourself."

"Thanks mom," Mark said when Carolyn started to laugh. "Nobody but you to boost my moral."

"You love me Mark," Carolyn said.

"I know."

Mark got up from where he was sitting with Samuel, Steven, Benjamin and Lucas, promising he'd be back soon, and headed over to where Carolyn was standing watching them.

"I'm very thankful for my grandkids," she said as she watched the four boys play their game. "They always know how to put a smile on my face."

"Hey! What about your kids?" Mark faked his hurt.

"They're usually the ones who are worrying me in the first place," Carolyn answered with a chuckle. "But this weekend has made me the happiest I've been in such a long time. Getting to see everyone together, watching Derek on his wedding day, getting to see you make the biggest step you've ever made, finding out that I'm going to have a new grandchild. Everyone is smiling. It's been a long time since you guys have all been in a good humor at the same time. Well, it's probably been since before you guys graduated from … kindergarten."

Mark laughed. "That long?"

Carolyn nodded. "Well it's been pretty close. If it wasn't you or Derek, it was one of the girls. Even just small things. But this weekend has done wonders to all of you guys. And to see Meredith and Lexie fit in so perfectly. It warms my heart. And even more than that, to see that Addie still fits in with all of you guys... I worried for her you know. After Derek left New York. I knew things weren't going to work out, but I had almost gotten to love Addie as my own daughter. And seeing her suffer hurt me. Seeing anybody suffer kills me. But when I talked to her the other night, I saw that she had moved on and that she wasn't hurting anymore. And that sent a wave of relief through me. I've got enough of you to worry about."

Mark smiled. "I can see us going back to the way we were in med school. Those were the good old days."

Carolyn nodded. "And she seems to be quite good friends with Meredith."

"It surprised us all, but I think that Addie sees past what happened three years ago and sees Meredith as who she is now. She's living in the present, and in the present, we're all just friends. She stood up for Meredith the other day. In front of the nurse. She really does care for all of us."

"I know she does. And it's good to see that." Carolyn paused. "Who is this infamous nurse everyone talks so poorly about?"

Mark scowled, but told her about Rose anyway.

"She doesn't scare me. I wish I could give her a piece of my mind."

Mark laughed. "I wish you would."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX/

When they arrived at Joe's, Meredith was the first to walk in, Natalie at her side. It had been a while since Meredith had come here. _Two weeks _Meredith thought with a laugh. It seemed like a lot of things revolved around the last two weeks.

"Meredith!" Joe exclaimed as she walked up to the bar. "I heard about the wedding. Congrats!"

Meredith smiled. "Thanks Joe. And you were mentioned."

"And how so?"

"Well, if it hadn't of been for you and your bar, it never would have happened. So you were thanked."

Joe laughed. "Of course. The infamous night that I had the honor to be a part of. Well it's no problem." Meredith noticed that some of the girls had headed to the dance floor, others to a large table. She was going to go join them, but Joe interrupted her thoughts.

"Seen you walk in with quite the crew," he said. "Having a party?"

"Sort of," Meredith answered. "Shepherd family reunion. Girls night out."

Joe smiled. "Well have fun with the new family!"

"I will! Bye!"

Meredith headed to the table where Kathleen and Lexie were sitting. But someone calling her name caught her attention.

"Meredith!"

She turned around and smiled when she saw her person. She was with Jackson and Callie. She decided it wouldn't hurt to go spend a little time with her friends. It felt like she hadn't seen them in weeks.

"How's the Shepherd hoedown going?" Cristina asked when Meredith sat with them.

"Fantastic actually," Meredith answered, shocking a few people. "They're great people and even though it's only been a few days, it feels like I'm really part of the family."

"That's because you are," she heard a voice behind her. She smiled when she saw Natalie . "Am I interrupting?"

Meredith laughed. "Nope, just saying hi."

Natalie smiled. "Well I'll go away, but you better come dance with me later." And with that, she ran back over to the crew on the dance floor.

"She seems nice," Callie commented.

"Yeah, she's a lot of fun. But I don't know how she has all that energy with five kids. I know I wouldn't."

They all nodded. And then it was quiet.

"So, what did I miss at work these past few days?"

The three others just looked at each, as if trying to figure what to tell their friend.

"Nothing really…" Cristina answered, and Meredith knew she was lying.

"I know you too well Cristina. You should have gotten Jackson to answer that one. Maybe then I wouldn't have guessed that something definitely went on."

Silence.

"Come on," Meredith insisted. "I'm not scared."

They hesitated, but Callie finally gave in.

"Addison and Rose went head to head. Even though she obviously knows about the wedding, Rose still isn't giving up. And it's getting to be very childlike. I hope Derek fires her."

Meredith was shocked.

"What do you mean, head to head?"

"Well, Rose was talking trash about you, and Addie being the new Addie that she is walked right up to her and told her to shut the hell up or she would find a way to get fired ASAP. The look on Rose's face was priceless. Addison sure is watching out for you."

Meredith nodded. "Yeah, she sure is."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"I had a great time tonight," Addie said as Sam dropped her off in front of the hospital. She was on call that night and Sam had picked her up there later on that day, so her car was still parked in the same place she had parked it the day before.

"Me too," he said as they approached the main door hand in hand. It was raining slightly, but not enough to make them rush for shelter.

Sam leaned in and gave her a quick kiss that left a smile on Addie's face. She still couldn't believe the night she had had.

"Bye," she said as he walked away. He smiled and waved.

"See you soon."

Addison just stood there for a few more moments before Arizona caught her.

"What's up with you?" she asked, which pulled Addie out of her trance.

"Just got back from a date," she admitted to her new friend. She had gotten to know Arizona from the many late nights of pre wedding preparations.

Arizona smiled. "One of the Harrington boys, right?"

Addie nodded.

They were now in the lobby and nothing could wipe the smile off of Addie's face. She parted ways with her friend and made her way up to her office where she planned on catching up on paperwork. But her mind kept drifting back to her incredible night.

"_When I was a kid, I used to hate the rain," Addie had admitted. "I thought it always came with bad news. Like when my grandmother was sick, or when my dog died. But I've grown to love it, sort of."_

_The two of them laughed._

"_So why Seattle?" Sam asked. "I mean, I know you said you came to save a relationship, but why did you come back?"_

_Addie thought about it before answering. "I missed it. And I missed the people. I never had closer friends than the ones I have in Seattle."_

"_What about your friends from New York?"_

_Addie smiled. "Two of the friends that I really ever had tight bonds with ended up here in Seattle. Derek and Mark. And Nancy and Kathleen both moved, so they're a little bit everywhere._

"_Derek, as in the groom?"_

_Addie nodded. "He's the reason I came to Seattle. Trying to save our marriage…"_

_Sam chocked on his mouthful of water. "Marriage?"_

_Addison laughed at his reaction. She had expected it. From what he had seen the night of the wedding, there hadn't been more than a really good friendship between them. And he hadn't been there for the speeches, so he didn't even have that as a hint giver._

"_We were married, but it never really was right. And then I went and did something stupid and he left New York and came to Seattle, where he met Meredith. I came down, like you already know, to save what was left, and we tried, but I knew he'd never love me like he loved Meredith. So we divorced and I stayed in Seattle for a little while. But I ended up getting a good offer in LA, so I took it. But I came back to Seattle several times, hospital reasons, and it just ended up that I missed it so much I came back. I found my old friends again, and made new ones, including Meredith. And I finally got back to the friendship I had with Derek and Mark. So it was all worth it."_

_After that, they talked about lighter subjects, like their childhood and funny memories. Addie had never felt this comfortable on a first date. She suddenly knew that she needed someone like Sam in her life. Someone who just made her feel like herself again._

Addison came back to the present when she realized she hadn't even started her paperwork. There was a lot of it to get done, and she knew she couldn't put it off anymore.

She hadn't even made it through one file that her phone rang. She thought about who would call her at this time, but nobody came to mind.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey!"

Addie recognized that voice.

"Meredith?"

Meredith laughed. "Yup."

Addie smiled. It was really good to hear her so joyful." "What are you up to?"

"Just getting back from a long night. But I felt the need to call you and thank you."

"For what?"

"For standing up for me," Meredith answered. "Again. I just wish she'd give up."

Addie laughed. "I'm having fun pissing off the nurse. I can't say I've enjoyed myself quite this much in a while. But I'm afraid it's going to get worse."

"Well I guess we'll just have to keep pissing her off until then."

Addie laughed. "Well I've got a lot of paperwork to get done, so I'll have to let you go. But it's good hearing from you."

"Goodnight," Meredith said.

"You too."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Derek was heading over to his hotel room when he noticed the door was opened. _Meredith must be back_ he thought as he approached.

He walked in just as she was hanging up her phone.

"Who were you talking to?" he asked with a laugh, thinking about how he sounded very much like one of those overprotective dads.

Meredith jumped slightly, not realizing Derek was there.

"You've got to stop doing that!" she exclaimed as he sat down behind her on the bed and wrapped her in his arms. "And I was talking to Addie."

She turned around in his arms so she was facing him and he pulled her down on top of him.

"Oh yeah?" he asked as he rolled over so they were both on their sides facing each other. "And what did you girls talk about?"

Meredith sighed and after taking a long breath, she sat up.

"Meredith, what's wrong? What's going on?"

"She's not giving up Derek," she answered, her head hanging.

"What? Addie's not giving what up?"

Meredith shook her head. "Rose. She's not giving up. She still thinks she'll get you."

Derek pulled her as close as he could. "Meredith, look at me." Meredith looked up, and stared into his eyes. Derek noticed they were getting wet. "Oh Mer, you know that will never happen. You know I love you more than I have ever loved anybody in my entire life. You're all I need to be happy. Not Rose, nor any other woman will make me feel the way I feel about you. You're my everything and you always will be."

Meredith nodded into his chest. "I know that, but it still doesn't help with the fact that she's going to keep threatening me."

Derek pulled back. "Meredith, has she ever said something to your face?"

The tears welled over and Meredith nodded. "The day with the big fight in the cafeteria. Addie was comforting you in one of the empty exams rooms, and Rose caught me in the hallway. She brought me to another exam room and started telling me things like how this may feel like a fairytale now, but that eventually you'd realize the mistake you were making. Then Addie came in. She stood up for me. Like an older sister. And she warned Rose that there were an awful lot of people who would protect me from her. And after a few more comments, she left. I thought that she'd back off a little after that, but since we've been gone from the hospital, Addie already had to get her to back off. That's why I called her. To thank her."

Derek got off the bed and slammed his fist on the back of the door. When he turned around, Meredith noticed that he was on the edge of tears too. And he was red. Red with rage.

"Meredith, if she ever threatens you again, tell me, please. I need to know these things to be able to fire her."

Meredith nodded. Derek came back to his side of the bed, and after cooling off a little, pulled Meredith onto his lap. "We'll make it through this," he whispered in her ear. "We'll make it through all the crap in our life."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

It was the next morning when Derek opened his eyes. The two of them had fallen asleep before even getting a chance to put on their pajamas. They hadn't even gone to say goodnight to everyone.

"Where did you guys disappear to last night?" Mark asked as they entered the hall. "Still taking advantage of the title of 'newlyweds?'"

Mark didn't notice the visible signs of last night's emotions on both Meredith and Derek's faces. But Lexie had.

"I'm sure Mer was tired after the dancing she did last night," Lexie cut in, and she recognized the look that Meredith gave her. It was a silent thank you.

"Better not have been with any men," Derek said as he forced a smile. The hall was staring to crowd a little bit, so this wouldn't be the best time to discuss their worries with Mark and Lexie. And Meredith knew that.

Meredith shook her head. "Just your sisters…" she trailed off. Derek saw in her eye that there was more to it.

"You did dance with a guy!" Derek exclaimed and Lexie laughed. Meredith joined her sister with a giggle. "How could you Mer?" he faked his hurt. "I thought I was the only man for you."

He pretended to wipe the fake tears from under his eyes.

"One guy Derek. And he doesn't even count," Meredith said as she kissed him on the cheek, to comfort his 'hurt'.

"And why not?"

"I danced with Jackson. And I don't plan on cheating on you with my brother." It was when Meredith read the expression on Derek's face that she realized the mistake she had made. She had hit a nerve.

"Crap. Derek, I'm sorry. Ugh, I should have thought before I talked." Meredith tried to apologize but Derek had already gotten up and was out the door.

"I'll go check on him." Mark headed out behind him.

Meredith was just staring at the doorway where her husband had just left. Lexie pulled her chair closer to her sister's and put a hand on her shoulder. "You didn't mean for it to come out like that. It had slipped. But it still hurts Derek every time he thinks about how much he hurt you that day. He'll never forgive himself."

Meredith just nodded blankly, and only shifted her attention when she noticed Carolyn come in the doorway where Derek and Mark had just left.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Carolyn had slept in for the first time since her arrival to Seattle. She was finally on west coast time. She had been making her way down to the hall when she heard Mark.

"Derek! Come on!"

It was then that Derek came into view. He was a mess. _So much for everyone being all happy at the same time._

He passed by without even seeing her, but Mark was coming close behind, and she'd find out what was going on.

"Mark! Are you and Derek in another argument?"

"No mom, but I can't explain right now. Meredith and Lexie are in the hall. They can explain." And Mark was gone, disappearing down the hallway just as Derek had.

Carolyn hurried her walk towards the hall and when she walked in, the first thing she noticed was the pained expression on Meredith's face, and the worried one on Lexie's. _What in the world…?_

"Meredith hunny," she said as she approached them. She sat down on an empty chair next to Meredith's. "What's going on? I just saw Derek …"she trailed off. She knew that Meredith already knew that Derek was a mess. Why else would Mark have sent her to them? "You can talk to me."

Meredith nodded and looked up at her mother-in-law. "I know." She took a deep breath. "Remember what I told you about the other night? The incident where Derek thought I was cheating on him?"

Carolyn nodded. Lexie looked at Meredith in shock, not knowing that her sister had confided in the older woman.

"He had asked about last night, and if I had danced with any men. I told him just one, but that he didn't count…"

Carolyn nodded. "And it had been Jackson, which caused him to react like this because of the incident two weeks ago."

Meredith nodded. She was glad that she understood everything so well and never judged. She was open minded and Meredith felt very at ease confiding in her.

"Oh sweetie, it's going to be okay," Carolyn pulled her into a hug. It seemed like the pregnancy brought out a lot of emotion in not only her, but also in Derek. And they seemed to be so on and off, that Carolyn had a hard time following. But she knew that it wasn't causing arguments between the two of them, and that the reason they were so miserable was because they loved each other so much that they didn't want to see the other one hurting. That was a good thing in a way, she concluded.

Carolyn noticed that a few people were looking towards them, but nobody bothered to come and find out what was going on.

"Come on you two, let's go up to my room and we can have some privacy."

Meredith and Lexie followed Carolyn upstairs without saying a word.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Derek," Mark said as he walked into the room he saw his best friend just enter. Derek was sitting on the bed, crumpled in a ball.

"Why does everything have to happen like this? Why does it kill me? I could have just laughed it off Mark, it meant nothing. Why does it always affect me like this?"

Mark sat down beside his best friend. "The cuts are still fresh. When you pour water on them, they still sting. But they'll heal over eventually and leave a scar for a little while, but it won't hurt anymore. And eventually, the scar won't even be noticeable."

Derek looked at him and groaned. "I feel like I'm one of your patients."

Mark chuckled. "Maybe you should be one of Kath's. She could probably help you. That is, after she's beaten you up for the idiotic things you'll need to tell her.

Derek smiled. "Thanks."

Mark smiled back. "No problem."

They sat there silently before Mark spoke up. "I think we may have left the girls a little shocked."

Derek jumped up from his seat. "Oh my gosh, I just ran out. Meredith, I…I…"

"Let's go," Mark instructed.

The two of them left and headed back to the hall, but when they got there, the girls were nowhere in sight.

Derek noticed that Natalie was staring at him, her look a little bit one of shock, but also of confusion. _She might know, _he decided.

"Nat, you didn't happen to see Meredith and Lexie, did you?"

Natalie nodded. "Yeah, after you ran out, mom came down. She sat with them for a few moments, and then the three of them disappeared." She paused. "Derek, something's wrong, isn't it? I know you. What's wrong?"

"Things are a little rough when it comes to certain things of the past," Derek used as an explanation.

"But, nothing that will come between you and Meredith, right?"

Derek shook his head. "Nothing will come between Mer and me. It's just left us a little emotional, both of us. But it's all going to be okay."

"Good then. Now, go find her!"

Derek thanked her and headed back out the way they came in. He didn't realize Mark was following him until he spoke up.

"Maybe they went up to mom's room."

Derek nodded and they headed to the second floor. They were glad when they heard voices in their mother's room.

Derek knocked. He didn't want to interrupt, even if the door may have been unlocked. He heard footsteps and then he saw the doorknob turn.

"Meredith," he said as she opened the door fully. "I'm sorry I reacted like that." He pulled her against him and she smiled faintly before kissing him softly.

"It's okay. I mean, I should really start thinking before I talk."

Derek let out a small laugh. "I like it when you say what's on your mind. And I need to learn to not react so harshly. But I promise, it won't happen again."

Meredith nodded and the two of them headed back in to join Carolyn and Lexie. Mark had also made his way to sit next to his fiancé.

"So what were you guys talking about?" Mark asked, to hopefully lighten the mood. But it didn't.

"Meredith told us about Rose and her newest attacks," Lexie explained.

"When did this happen?"Mark asked.

"While we've been here," Meredith answered.

"Then how do you know?"

"I was talking to Cristina and Callie about it at Joe's last night. And then I talked to Addie on the phone afterwards. She's the one who stood up for me this time since you two weren't there to beat her up." She looked at Lexie. "Thanks, by the way, for trying."

Lexie laughed. "No problem. And I would've gotten her if it hadn't of been for you," she pointed to Mark who just kissed her in response. Derek pulled Meredith closer to him and kissed her on the cheek which brought a smile to her face.

"It's good to see everyone in a lighter mood again," Carolyn said as she smiled at all of her children, by blood or not. She couldn't handle seeing them in pain, and she was glad that these four never seemed to stay upset for very long. _They just need each other to be happy, _she concluded. Just like real siblings.

**I'm starting to feel like all of my chapters are slowish and that nothing happens, even though I know what drama lies ahead. But there needs to be some bubbly, right ?**

**Anyway, keep reading and reviewing ! ENJOY !**


	25. Look at us now

The rest of the day had been pretty slow. They had spent it indoors since it was raining, but everyone seemed to be having a great time playing various board games and card games, or even just catching up with the people that they hadn't seen much of that week. Meredith found herself on the ground doing a puzzle with Laura and Alyssa.

"Auntie Meredith, why were you sad this morning?" Laura asked in her innocent little girl voice.

Meredith smiled at her. "I was sad because your Uncle Derek was sad."

Laura just nodded. "When my daddy's sad, I'm sad too. Will your baby be sad when Uncle Derek is sad?"

"Maybe, but we won't know for a while."

They went back to concentrating on their puzzle.

"I finished Ariel's head!" Alyssa exclaimed.

Meredith smiled. "Good job!" _Why can't it be this easy for us to just forget about our worries? _

Alyssa jumped up from where she was sitting to go tell her mom about her accomplishment.

"Hey, are you hungry? We can go grab a snack, take a little break if you'd like."

Laura nodded and the two of them stood up. She grabbed Meredith's hand which only warmed her heart even more.

"What would you like? There's granola bars and apples and yogurt…"

Laura grabbed a granola bar and a glass of water. They then headed over to the table where Natalie and Amy were sitting with Ashley and Daniel.

"You want to come sit over here Laura?" Natalie asked her daughter as she approached.

She shook her head. "I'm going to sit beside Auntie Meredith."

Natalie smiled. "Okay then."

Amy giggled. "What about your Auntie Amy?"

Laura just shrugged. "I'll sit with her tomorrow."

The three women laughed at her response. _Kids, they made everything much easier._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek had been sitting with some of his cousins and his brother-in-laws. They were playing a game of poker, but Derek didn't seem to be making much progress. He decided to give up and just watch as the others played the game they seemed to know so well. His eyes drifted across the room and when he spotted his wife with his nieces on the ground, he couldn't help but smile.

She seemed like a mother already. And she was, in a way. She had that motherly instinct in her. She was caring and she treated all of the kids as if she knew them all of their lives.

"Your wife is going to be an amazing mother," his cousin Brody said as he noticed that Derek was no longer focusing on the game, but on Meredith.

Derek nodded. "I see that."

"And it looks like I've just lost my daughter," Cory said with a laugh when Meredith and Laura headed over to the snack table, Laura clutched onto her hand.

"It looks like you may have to leave her here," Mark said with a laugh. "I'm sure she wouldn't mind. And I know that Mer and Derek definitely won't."

Derek smiled. "We'll give her back eventually."

"You guys I'll have your own kid to raise soon. You may want to save your energy. There can be some very long, and I mean very long, sleepless nights," Stanley warned him.

"I know," Derek answered. "But it'll all be worth it. I still can't believe it's actually happening."

"Me neither," Mark added. The men laughed. "But the two of you guys will be amazing parents. I know it."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The rest of the day had sort of stayed the same. But the rain cleared just before supper time and the sun came out. They decided to stay inside to eat supper, but after the sun set, the campfire wasn't even debatable. If they could start it, they were having it.

Everyone grabbed a chair from the courtyard and after wiping them off, brought them down to the beach where the fire had been started. The kids were roasting marshmallows and the adults were discussing future get-togethers.

"I'm in Seattle for a convention in November," Dylan told Derek. "Maybe we could meet up for coffee or something."

Derek nodded. "Sounds good."

On her side, Meredith was exchanging cell phone numbers and email addresses with her new sisters. Lexie was just as bombarded with information.

"And you guys need to come home for Thanksgiving or Christmas," they informed them.

"I might not be able to," Meredith answered.

"Oh shush, Derek will give you time off," Nancy answered.

"No," Meredith shook her head. "My due date is December 16th, right before Christmas, but right after Thanksgiving. I won't be able to fly if I'm that pregnant and I'm not bringing a newborn across the country."

The girls had all forgotten about that. They all just nodded.

"We'll figure something out," Natalie decided.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Done!" Cristina exclaimed after bringing her last box into a storage closest. She had been unpacking for three days now. It seemed to have taken longer than when she had actually packed the stuff. _That's because I was in a rush,_ she thought.

"Finally," Jackson exclaimed as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I thought it would never end."

Cristina laughed. "But it did. And now we can just relax."

They walked over to the couch and dropped down, exhausted from the last few days. After the wedding, they had both done nothing but work and unpack, except for their one outing to Joe's the day before. They had needed a break to be able to make it through all this unpacking.

"I still can't believe this," Cristina said as she leaned down onto Jackson's shoulder. "Anybody else, it would have taken me months to even think about moving in together. But everything just seems so much easier with you."

Jackson kissed the top of her head. "Maybe it's because I'm awesome," he said with a laugh.

"I love you," Cristina said, willingly.

"I love you too."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Izzie was up and on the go early the next morning. It was Saturday. And Alex was off. They decided they'd do something as a couple. Like a date. They had the day to themselves, and Izzie couldn't wait.

She had told Alex about Meredith being pregnant, which reminded her that she still needed to talk to Meredith about the fact that she didn't tell her. But that could wait. After his initial shock, Alex just smiled.

"_Good for them," he said as he kissed Izzie. "Maybe it'll be our turn someday."_

_Izzie gave him a shocked look and he laughed. "I peed in a cup for you and our future babies. I think we deserve them."_

_Izzie wrapped her arms around his neck and jumped into his arms. "Seriously?" she asked, still a little to in shock._

"_Seriously," he replied, a smile on his lips._

_They just stood there staring at each other until Alex finally realized something._

"_Crap," he said._

"_What?" Izzie asked, a little worried about his sudden attitude change. _

"_I just lost twenty bucks," Alex said with a grunt. "I hate Cristina."_

_Izzie just laughed when she caught on to what he was saying._

"Are you ready to go?" Alex asked as he walked into the room. Izzie nodded and the two of them headed out the door.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"We'll see you soon," Natalie said as she hugged Meredith. Only the four sisters and their families were left in Seattle. The other Shepherd's had left earlier that day after their goodbyes with all their families that they might not see for another year. It had been a sad day.

"Call anytime, and don't forget to email us," Kathleen said as she hugged her brother. She turned to Meredith and Lexie. "It's been so nice meeting you guys. I'm really glad our brothers found such amazing woman." The three of them hugged.

"What about me," Mark said as Kathleen turned to him.

"I'll miss you too I guess."

They all laughed.

They finished their goodbyes and headed towards their terminal leaving only Derek, Mark, Meredith, Lexie and Carolyn in the main part of the airport, surrounded by others saying their goodbyes to their loved ones.

"Let's head over to the house for supper," Derek suggested as the group headed out the main doors.

"Then will you show me this infamous trailer of yours?" Carolyn asked as she gave her son a funny look.

Derek laughed. "We've got all day tomorrow."

Carolyn smiled. "And will you guys be joining us on our adventurous journey?" she asked Mark and Lexie with a laugh.

"Can't," Mark answered sadly. "We've got to be back at work tomorrow."

"Right, the hospital calls," Carolyn said with a sigh. But she knew better than anybody that her children were saving many more lives than she could ever imagine. She was glad she knew so many amazing doctors. If ever she ran into a health problem, one of her children would surely know what to do. She looked at Derek and Meredith. "When do you guys have to be back to work?"

"Monday afternoon," Derek answered. "But I was thinking of maybe showing you around the hospital Monday morning if you'd like."

Carolyn nodded. "That sounds like a plan."

They reached their cars and headed to the house. But they were surprised when they noticed there was another car in the driveway.

"It looks like Alex's car," Meredith said as they got out.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you…" Derek started but he didn't get to finish before Izzie came out of the front door.

"You didn't tell me!" Izzie said when she was only a few feet away from Meredith.

"You found out?" Meredith asked, not sure if she should be happy or scared.

"Uh hmmm. If you're trying to keep it a secret, you should probably hide the pregnancy books better."

"Oups," Meredith said. "But now you know."

Izzie smiled. "Congratulations. I'm proud of you two." She gave Meredith a great big hug and the two of them laughed.

"I thought I was the one who was supposed to have mood swings," Meredith said.

Izzie laughed.

Mark, Lexie and Carolyn, who had followed Meredith and Derek back to the house, pulled into the driveway just at that moment.

"Would you like to stay for supper?" Meredith asked Izzie as she remembered that was what they were back at the house for.

"No, Alex and I have reservations." As if on cue, Alex came out of the house talking to Derek, who had gone in as soon as Izzie had attacked. He couldn't handle her again.

The two of them said bye and headed to their car.

"Sorry I didn't forewarn you," Derek said as he kissed Meredith on the head. She leaned into him.

"She's not mad. At least not anymore."

Once Lexie, Mark and Carolyn joined them in the yard, the five of them headed into the house.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Richard enjoyed being chief again, but he had to admit to himself that the hours he was working now weren't what he was doing when he was actually the chief. He left the hospital at reasonable times, and had even surprised Adele when he came home in time for supper on a few occasions.

"Looks like we have company," he said as he walked in that evening.

Sitting at the table with his wife were Miranda and Tucker.

"I invited Miranda over for supper, not thinking you would be home. But you can join us if you'd like," she added with a laugh.

"Sounds like a plan," he said as he took his usual seat.

"So how's work?" Adele asked, catching Richard off-guard. She never asked about his work. She always complained about how he was spending way too much time in the hospital.

"I've realized that I don't miss being the chief. Sure, it feels good to be back where I was, but definitely not something I want to go back to."

Adele and Miranda both smiled.

"Derek seems to be doing a good job at it anyway," he added.

"And he knows how to balance work with the rest of his life," Miranda added, looking down. "Something I should have learnt so many years ago."

"Me too," Richard added.

"Speaking of Derek," Adele changed the subject, "has anybody heard how the family reunion went?"

Richard nodded as he took a spoonful of his soup. "Callie told me something about how the Shepherd girls had all been at Joe's the other night. She said that she talked to Meredith and that she said it was going really well. It's good to see Meredith has found all this family in so little time."

Miranda nodded. "Four new sisters, and four brother-in-laws, nieces, nephews, plus an amazing mother. And on top of that she's found Jackson and you guys. And her hospital family has gotten much bigger since the beginning of all this wedding thing. She needs all these people. It's going to be a long few months."

They all nodded and went back to eating their soup that was slowly getting cold.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I didn't know you could cook Mark," Meredith said as they finished their supper. It had been very good, prepared by the men and Carolyn. Meredith and Lexie had just sort of watched in amazement as they made their way around the kitchen like real cooks.

"I spent most of my life with Carolyn as a mother. If you didn't know how to cook, you didn't belong. Everyone in that house knew how to cook."

Meredith nodded. "Looks like I may need some guidance. I'll need to be able to make something if I don't want our children to starve when Derek's not around."

"Grilled cheese sandwiches will get boring after a while," Lexie added with a laugh.

"Hey, don't diss the grilled cheese sandwich. It got me through most of my life."

They laughed and finished up supper. After loading the dishwasher, Derek showed his mother to her room, one of the many rooms that had been used as intern dorms for the last four or five years. He left her to settle in and joined the other three in the living room.

"Remember that night where you guys came home to this room filled with stories of our past?" Mark asked suddenly.

Meredith and Derek both nodded, not knowing where this was going.

"That was the night we decided we were organizing you guys a surprise wedding."

"It had been a pretty interesting evening," Lexie added. "I still can't believe it worked."

"I still can't believe you guys were able to keep it a secret that long," Meredith said. "Izzie, of all people."

"I just hope she can keep the baby a secret," Derek added.

"I think she will," Lexie said. "I mean, if she needs to talk to someone about it, she can talk to a bunch of us. It's not like nobody else knows."

Derek nodded. "True."

Carolyn entered the room and sat down on the couch next to Meredith.

"This is quite the place you guys have," she said.

"It was my mother's," Meredith said as she looked around. "But I guess it's been mine for a few years now. Well, it's been a lot of peoples home."

Lexie nodded. "It was almost like an animal shelter for surgeons."

They laughed. "That's pretty much what it's been. All five of Bailey's interns lived here at some point, then you two have both lived here, Callie was here too. Mark, you stayed a few nights too. Oh and Sadie."

"Surgeon home," Derek added with a laugh.

"But it won't be for long," Mark added. "What are you guys going to do with this place?"

Meredith shrugged. "I haven't quite decided yet. But something will come to me."

"It's getting late," Mark said as he got up from his seat. "Lex, you ready to head home?"

Lexie nodded as she got up. "We'll see you guys on Monday." They waved and headed out the door.

"Mark's right," Carolyn said as she got up. "It is getting late and I need to get some rest to make up for this weekend."

"Goodnight mom," Derek said as he kissed her on the cheek.

"Goodnight you two."

"Goodnight Carolyn," Meredith added.

Carolyn smiled and shook her head. "That's mom to you too."

Meredith smiled. "Goodnight, mom."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Home sweet home," Mark said as he opened the door to their apartment.

Lexie laughed. "Happy to be back?"

Mark shrugged. "I'm definitely going to miss the Inn. That place started growing on me."

Lexie thought about what her and Izzie had talked about the week before. "You know, we won't be able to stay here forever. Once kids come into the picture…"

Mark's eyes lit up at the mention of kids. "What are you thinking?"

He pulled her against him and kissed her softly before she answered.

"We'll need a bigger place, but nothing too big," Lexie started. Mark nodded. He knew there was more to it. "And you know the cottages at the Inn are great, and they're the perfect size for a small family and their homey, and the view is amazing and they're for sale and –"

Mark cut her off with a kiss. "Let's buy ourselves a house."

Lexie smiled. "Really?"

Mark nodded. "Of course! You're absolutely right. And besides, I'm tired of having neighbors complain about the noise. The cottages are in the middle of nowhere."

Lexie laughed. "Our nowhere."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Once Carolyn had gone to bed, Meredith and Derek had decided to stay up a little bit longer.

"All this house talk brings back memories of my first night in this house," Meredith said with a smile.

"Mine too," he replied as he kissed her.

"It all started with a one night stand Derek. Look at us now."

Derek nodded. "I know. I still can't believe that we made it this far. I can't imagine my life if you hadn't of been in the right place at the right time."

"Do you ever think about what would have happened if we hadn't of both ended up at Seattle Grace?"

Derek smiled. "I would have sat in your driveway on my first day off and waited for you until I had a chance to ask you out."

"But then, with Addison, and Mark and everything else. It wouldn't have been near the same as it ended up being."

Derek just pulled her back so that she was lying her head on his lap. He stroked her hair. "The "could- have-been's " don't matter. Let's just focus on where we are today."

"Married," Meredith said as she looked down at her hand where there were now two rings.

Derek kissed her. "Married."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"You mean to tell me you lived in this thing!" Carolyn exclaimed.

Derek laughed. "Yup."

Carolyn shook her head. "What about the year Addie was here too."

Derek pointed to the trailer. "Home sweet home."

"You mean to tell me _Addie_ lived in this thing!"

Derek and Meredith both laughed.

"It's not as bad as it seems," Meredith argued, as she for one really like this place. It brought back some very good, and also bad, memories. But the good ones were the only ones she cared to remember. "It's a nice place to get away too."

"Yeah, but actually live in?" Carolyn was still shocked.

"Mom, it's not any worse than the trailer we spent the summer in when I was like, 6," Derek said, as he remembered a very interesting childhood summer.

"Oh yeah," Carolyn said with a sigh. "You and your three sisters at the time, plus Mark and your father and me, in a trailer not much bigger than this."

Meredith's jaw dropped. "How did you manage to fit everyone?"

"Well, Kathleen and Nancy were old enough to stay in the tent outside, so they didn't stay in the trailer unless it wasn't very nice out. Derek and Mark shared the bunk beds. Natalie was only little so we set up her crib in our room and Amy wasn't born, so that was one less person. It was definitely an interesting summer."

"Yeah, a month in the woods. Dad, Mark and I loved it. The girls, not so much," Derek said with a laugh.

"And it sounds like you'll be spending the rest of your life in the woods," Carolyn said as they exited the trailer. "Are you going to show me where your new home is going to be?"

Derek smiled. "Actually mom, they've broken ground by what I've heard." Derek hadn't been here since his and Meredith's last picnic, when nothing had started yet. But in those short few days, he got a phone call informing him that they had started to dig the ground for the foundation."

"Well what are we waiting for?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Cristina had been working on diagnosing the problem for one of her cases, one that nobody seemed to understand, when she noticed someone she hadn't seen around the hospital for a few days.

"Lex! Wait up."

She caught up with Lexie and walked with her to the elevator.

"Cristina, what's up?" she asked, not sure why her sister's best friend seemed so excited to see her.

"I was just wondering how you enjoyed yourself at the Shepherd hoedown?"

Lexie looked at her old resident with a shocked expression.

"We're friends, right?" Cristina asked her when she didn't answer.

Lexie laughed interiorly. _When did this happen? _She knew that she was getting along much better with her sister's person now that she wasn't her intern, even to an extent that she considered them friends. But she never thought Cristina saw her like that.

"Yeah, sure," she said with a smile. "It went well. Really well actually."

Cristina smiled. "That's good to hear."

Their elevator arrived and they both jumped in, running into Addie and Callie.

"Good to see you back Grey," Callie said with a sincere smile.

"It looks like the Shepherd's haven't damaged her too much," Addie said with a laugh.

Lexie laughed. "Not completely."

"Meredith and Derek not back to work yet?" Addie asked.

Lexie shook her head. "When they took their time off, they were planning on flying home today, but because of the fact that there never was any flying involved, they ended up with an extra day off."

She nodded.

"They'll be back tomorrow," Cristina added.

"That is if they haven't died of exhaustion after the week they had," Addie said.

"What a week," Lexie added as she thought about the days that had gone by since the arrival of their guests.

"What a wedding," Callie said as she joined back into the conversation.

"That was definitely a wedding that will go down in Grace's books," Cristina added. "It'll never get old."

The three others nodded their heads.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"What a view!"

Derek and Meredith smiled. "That's why we picked this place."

Carolyn was blown away with the beauty of the land Derek had bought. She hadn't had much time to visit all of this when she had come to visit the year before. She just wanted time to check up on her son, and when she saw that he was doing fine on his own, she knew that she wouldn't need to stay around to make sure he didn't screw up big time. But he had been far away from screwing up.

"And to see that things are already getting in motion. It's only been a couple of weeks since you've decided to start building, right?"

Derek nodded. "The plans had been drawn up a few years ago, but they never were really put into action." He looked at Meredith as he remembered the morning in her kitchen where he had told her it was going to be their house. Meredith smiled as if she knew exactly what he was thinking about.

"I hate it when you guys have those silent conversations," Carolyn said in a frustrated tone. "Your sisters and their husbands aren't nearly as bad as you two."

"Derek was just thinking about the day he showed me the house plans, a few years back," Meredith answered. Carolyn looked up to her son who smiled in response.

"I swear mom! She can read my mind!" Derek answered and Carolyn let out a chuckle.

"Anyway, I hadn't taken it like he had expected it –"

"Although that's what I should have expected," Derek cut in.

Meredith hit him in the arm which made Carolyn laugh." – because even though he had been ready for all of this stuff - the house, marriage, the family - I wasn't."

"But look where we are," Derek said with a mocking smile.

Meredith smiled. "I wouldn't have said this five years ago, but I'm glad this is where I am."

"I'm just glad I've gotten my son back and an amazing daughter on top of that. And more grandkids of course."

Derek laughed. "Who said anything about grandkid_s, _plural?"

"Mother's instinct."


	26. A new name, a new person

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's, although I wish I did, but I have to admit Shonda is doing a great job with S7 so far... much better than S6 (: Okay, minus the finale. THAT was worth the entire season. But season 7 is good (:**

It had been almost a week since the last time Derek walked through the doors at Seattle Grace. It had been a long time since he had been away from this place for such a long period of time, but he hadn't had enough time in the last week to miss it. It was still buzzing with the same energy, and a lot of people congratulated him and Meredith as they walked through the very familiar halls, passing mostly familiar faces.

"It looks like you two are well known around here," Carolyn commented as she followed them.

Meredith giggled. "You have no idea."

Carolyn tilted her head to the side, sort of in the same way a dog does when you make funny noises or do something they don't recognize.

"Mom, things that have happened here, in this hospital, in Seattle, aren't all things you want to hear about," Derek said, not wanting to explain why they were so popular.

"Oh shush Derek," she said. "I know how you and Meredith met and what happened after that." Meredith blushed. "But not in detail," she reassured her. "But from what I've heard and witnessed, this hospital is known for its drama and relationship's. Why does yours stand out?"

Derek laughed. "Because we were the trend starters."

"Derek!" Meredith exclaimed as she slapped him.

"I've told you, no physical abuse, Dr Grey," they heard Miranda's very familiar voice.

They all laughed. "Sorry Dr Bailey," she answered. "It looks like I'll need to sit in a timeout."

Miranda gave her a look and Meredith remembered being on a timeout several years before.

"I've already given you one too many timeouts in your life," she answered, as if knowing that that was what Meredith was thinking about.

She smiled and continued her way down the hallway.

It was only when Miranda was out of sight that Meredith realized what she had called her. She was no longer Dr Grey.

"This may get confusing," she thought out loud.

"What may get confusing?" Derek asked, catching Meredith by surprise. She hadn't realized she had said it out loud.

"Dr Grey, Dr Shepherd." Derek nodded, understanding what she meant. "I hope I get to see the expression on Miranda's face when she finds out."

Derek laughed. "I wish I could be there too."

They made their way down to Derek's office, showing Carolyn everything from the nurse's station to empty patient rooms. When they finally reached the catwalk, they were stopped by one of their many Seattle Grace friends.

"Meredith! You're back! And Carolyn, good to see you again," Addison greeted them. She gave both of the women hugs. Meredith felt weird, not because of the hug, but because it didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable.

"Hey, what about your new best friend?" Derek asked, with a fake pout.

Addie laughed. "Mark and I have decided that rather than fighting over who gets to be your best friend, we'd be each other's best friends." When Addison noticed the worried look on Carolyn's face, she added; "And nothing more. Don't worry, we won't make the same mistake again." She smiled and Carolyn relaxed.

"Meredith, will you be my best friend then?" Derek asked, still pretending to be heartbroken.

"Sorry, that's Cristina's job." Meredith giggled as Derek shook his head with a mocking smile on his face.

"I'll just have to find a better best friend. Someone who's better than all of you."

"Good luck," Meredith and Addison answered together. Derek huffed and started heading back towards his office, leaving the girls behind.

"I like seeing this," Carolyn said with a smile. "All of you are such good friends. It's amazing for me to see you and Derek this happy around each other. It's been a very, very long time."

"Since before we were married," Addie answered with a smile. "And now that I have stolen Mark from Derek, you're the next thing I've got to steal from Derek," she said with a laugh as she pointed to Meredith.

"Oh don't worry," Meredith assured her. "The sisters didn't have much trouble. I'm sure you won't either."

The three woman laughed and Addison continued her way towards her patient's room after saying goodbye. Meredith and Carolyn caught up to Derek who was waiting for them outside his office.

"Are you guys all done stealing my dignity?" he asked with a laugh.

"Yeah," Meredith answered. "For today."

Carolyn laughed as Meredith gave Derek a kiss to make things all better. He proceeded by knocking on his office door before entering.

"Ah, Derek," Richard said as he entered, followed by Meredith and Carolyn. "Hi Meredith, Carolyn."

"Good morning Richard," Meredith said with a smile. "How has it been, being chief again and all?"

"Not as good as I remember it. I've realized that I definitely don't want it back."

Derek laughed. "What happens the next time I take a few days off?"

Richard smiled. "Okay, a few days here and there aren't too bad."

Derek nodded. "Good then, because I don't know if I can trust Mark with being in charge of the entire surgical wing."

"There's always Addie," Richard answered. "And by the looks of it, Preston too. The four who had competed for the position in the first place." Derek smiled at the memory. "But of course, the one I chose was the one who ended up with the position."

Meredith shrugged her eye brows. "What do you mean, the one you chose?" She didn't understand.

Derek looked back and forth between Meredith and Richard. Finally, he decided he should just tell her then and there.

"Richard offered me the position, before Preston ran off, before we broke up, before Addie left. I turned it down."

Meredith just stood in shock.

"But it doesn't matter anymore. He has it now, and that's all that matters. And this is your first day back as an officially married couple. And as a Shepherd, Meredith. Good luck with all the confusion." Meredith forgot about the whole chief topic and laughed at Richard's comment. She then noticed that her new lab coat and ID were still sitting on Derek's desk. She went over and picked them up and turned towards her husband and her mother.

"This is going to be quite the day."

Derek and Carolyn laughed.

"Good luck," Carolyn said.

"I'll need it." She put her stuff back on the desk as she wasn't due to start work for another hour. They decided they'd finish Carolyn's tour.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Jackson and Cristina were in the underground tunnels of the hospital when they heard voices. It didn't happen very often, but people did pass through the very secluded area of the hospital. Cristina was however surprised when she recognized her person walking through the doors.

"Mer!" she exclaimed as she waved her over.

Meredith walked over to her person and her brother and smirked. "Working hard, or hardly working?"

Cristina snorted. "Charts."

Meredith laughed. "Well at least you haven't been piled with them for entire days," she glanced at Derek who just pulled her by the waist and kissed the top of her head.

"Patient safety," was all he said as a response.

"We're just giving Carolyn a tour of the hospital," Meredith explained.

"And you came to the basement…?" Cristina asked.

"Ran out of places to show her," Derek explained. "Although it is a big hospital, a lot of it is off limits to visitors."

Cristina scoffed. "Yeah and I'm sure the chief of surgery would have such a hard time getting his mother into the employee only parts of the hospital."

"Hey, I never said I didn't show her those places."

"I loved the view of the OR from the gallery," Carolyn said with a laugh. "But actually being in an empty OR scared me. I'd rather stick to the gallery, or even the waiting room."

"Mom, that was our little secret," Derek said with a chuckle.

"Don't worry, we won't tell anybody," Jackson assured them.

After saying goodbye, the three Shepherd's continued their way and Jackson pulled Cristina back into his arms.

"Meredith seems to be having a good time with her new mom," Jackson said once they were alone again.

"Yeah, it looks like we've both changed since the beginning of our Seattle Grace life," Cristina answered as she cuddled into her boyfriend's arms. But then she pulled back out. "That doesn't mean I want to meet your parents anytime soon."

Jackson laughed and pulled her back down into her position. "Don't worry. My mom's dead. And you already know my dad, quite well actually."

Cristina turned around in his arms. "Does it bother you that you didn't get to meet your birth mom before she died?"

Jackson thought about it for a very short time, then shook his head. "From what I've heard, she's wasn't much of a mom anyway, so I haven't missed out on much. Sometimes I wish Meredith had been put up for adoption too, that way she wouldn't have had such a terrible childhood."

"But she's found her real family now."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After finishing their tour of the hospital, Meredith, Derek and Carolyn ended back up in Derek's office.

"And that concludes today's tour folks," Derek imitated a tour guide. "Come again."

Both women just rolled their eyes.

"Sometimes I ask myself what I see in him," Meredith whispered just loud enough so Carolyn could hear her.

"I've heard from many people it's the hair and the smile, but other than that…"

Meredith laughed. "His heart is enormous and his bubbly yet arrogant attitude melts your heart you just don't know how you can live without him."

Carolyn smiled. "That's my son."

"Are you guys talking about me?" Derek asked from behind his desk.

"No of course not hunny," Carolyn said with a smile.

Derek just rolled his eyes. "Women."

"You do realize one of the women in this room is pregnant with your baby and very hormonal," Carolyn said as she glared at Derek, trying to hide her smile.

"Yes and I also know that both of the women in this room are women I would never want to lose and that I love both of them so much and they know it even when I say things I don't mean."

"Nice try Derek, but you never roll your eyes at your pregnant wife," Carolyn said as she looked at Meredith. "She's going to go through hell for you, so you don't get to roll your eyes. Besides, it's very immature." Carolyn looked back at her son just as Meredith stuck her tongue out at her husband.

"Mom! Did you see that? And you call me immature!"

"I don't know what you're talking about DerBear. Meredith is very mature. She wouldn't stoop down to your level." She looked over to her daughter and winked, a wink that Derek could not see.

"Mom likes me better now," Meredith said, surprising herself as she called Derek's mother mom. She looked over at Derek who now had a great big smile on his face.

"That makes five girls Derek," Carolyn said with a laugh. "It looks like you're never going to escape women."

"And that's fine by me," he answered as he walked over to the couch, picked up Meredith into his arms and kissed her passionately, not caring that his mother was standing right there. Carolyn just smiled at her son's finally discovered happiness.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Meredith was in the locker room getting changed when she noticed that her old lab coat was still in her locker. She put it in the bottom of her bag, deciding to keep it as a souvenir of the good times she had at Seattle Grace.

"Gotch'a!" she heard her favorite voice say and she felt his arms wrap around her waist.

"Derek! No more sneaking up on me!"

"Sorry," he said as he kissed her cheek. There was no one else in the locker room, so Meredith didn't mind these types of things. She even didn't mind them all that much when people were around, but she preferred it when they were alone.

Meredith turned around and kissed him on the lips as he pulled her closer. When they pulled apart, Derek backed up and Meredith didn't understand why.

"Dr Meredith Shepherd," he said with a smile. He was looking at her lab coat that she was now wearing for the first time. "I love it."

Meredith giggled just as he grabbed her hand and they headed out of the locker room.

"Where's mom?" Meredith asked. When she had left, Carolyn was still with Derek in his office. But now she wasn't with them.

"She decided she'd head out and either go back to the house or visit some of Seattle. I told her I could walk her to the door, but she insisted she could do it alone. She used the excuse that she wanted to see if she could find Mark or Lexie before heading out."

Meredith just nodded and smiled. "You were lucky to have such an amazing mother growing up."

"Well now she's yours too," Derek answered as he kissed the top of her head.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Meredith decided she'd start her shift by meeting her brother and her best friend in the tunnels. She knew that when they had charts to do, they spent most of their day down there because it could take a long time to finish all the charts they had. But when she walked in through the doors, she just laughed.

"No wonder you guys aren't done yet!" she exclaimed.

Cristina and Jackson pulled away from each other, letting go of each other's lips. They both had huge smiles.

"Break time?" Cristina suggested.

Meredith just laughed as she joined the two on the stretcher. "Don't worry about the whole lovey dovey thing. I'm probably just as bad."

Cristina nodded. "I would say worse, nauseating even, but now I know what it feels like, so I know how you feel for McDreamy."

Meredith looked at Jackson and smiled. "It looks like you're not getting rid of her anytime soon."

Jackson smiled back. "Not planning on it."

Just then, they saw Dr Montgomery come through the doors. "Dr Avery, Dr Yang, Dr Shepherd," she smiled as she looked at Meredith. "I need a resident on my surgery. Anybody interested?"

Cristina just looked at Meredith with incredulous eyes. "Did she just say Shepherd?"

Meredith smiled and looked back at Addie. "These two are stuck with charts and I haven't cut in a week. I'll take it."

"Good. My patient is being prepped right now. Meet me in OR 3 in fifteen minutes."

Meredith nodded and was about to follow Addie out to ask how she knew, when Cristina stopped her.

"Shepherd?" She looked at the name on her lab coat and was surprised that it no longer said Dr Meredith Grey. "You…?"

"Changed my name?" Meredith asked for Cristina. "Yeah, on the wedding day. I'm tired of being a Grey. I'm a new person with a new family. So I have a new name."

Cristina was still in shock, but Jackson was smiling.

"I forgive him," he said.

"What?" Meredith asked.

"For what happened, I forgive him. I hadn't completely forgiven him until the wedding, but I do now. He's a good man, and I've come to realize that he'll never hurt you like that again."

Meredith smiled and gave her brother a hug. "Thank you."

"You're the She-Shepherd now!" Cristina finally spoke.

Meredith shook her head. "No way am I being called that. We used to call Addie that. I'm not getting a hand-me-down name."

Jackson laughed. "You deserve better."

"Well when you think of something, let me know."And with that, Meredith headed off in search for Addison.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Carolyn had found Lexie and after having talked about little things, like supper plans and schedules, she decided she'd head home to Derek and Meredith's for a little while before heading to the shops of Seattle.

When she got in the elevator, she noticed there were only two other occupants. She didn't pay much attention to them, but she couldn't help but overhear something that threw her off.

"It won't last," one of the two said to the other. "Everybody here knows Derek and Meredith's past. They know it's always on and off. But this, they're going to regret it, or Derek will regret it, and it'll be off for good."

Carolyn felt rage build up inside of her and she couldn't just stand around and do nothing. So being the mother that she was, she spoke up.

"How can you say something like that? If you don't know Derek and Meredith enough to know that there is no way that you or anybody else will break them, then you have no right to speak about them like that. You don't know Derek and Meredith."

The girl, who she had already guessed the identity of looked at her, partly confused, partly scared and mostly angry.

"And you do?"

Carolyn laughed. "Well I've known Derek since the day he was born. I've been through his entire life with him and have seen him happy, and more often I've seen him sad. But I haven't seen him as happy as he is now. And I've gotten to know Meredith in the last little while and I know that she loves Derek more than life itself. They're madly in love, and your stupid little games aren't going to hurt them like you hope they do."

The nurse just rolled her eyes. "And you are?"

"Carolyn Shepherd."

Her eyes grew into the size of golf balls and Carolyn knew that she had scared the girl.

"Sh-Shepherd?" she stammered.

"Derek's mother to be exact. And Meredith's mother now. And I already know who you are. You must be Rose."

Rose just stared blankly until Carolyn started to speak again.

"I've heard plenty about you, and none of its good. Now, I suggest you stay away from my son and his wife or else you'll have to deal with my wrath. And a mother always, always protects her little ones."

As if on cue, the elevator stopped and Carolyn marched out. When the doors closed again, she smiled as she thought about the reaction Derek would have when he found out she met a very unliked person of his past.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Wait up!" Meredith exclaimed as she caught up to Addison. She turned around and smiled.

"I take it Cristina didn't know about the whole last name thing, did she?" Addie asked.

"No, nobody but Richard, Lexie and Mark knew about it at the hospital. How'd you know?"

Addie smiled. "I was visiting Richard in his office, well Derek's office, but anyway. I noticed the lab coat on the desk, and I knew it wasn't Richard's cause he was wearing his, and Derek's was hanging up on the rack. When he noticed me staring at it, he just picked it up and made me read the name."

Meredith nodded. "Does anybody else know around here?"

Addie shook her head. "I don't think so. But everyone will know by the end of the day more than likely. It may be a big hospital, but things travel fast around here."

"So I've noticed," Meredith said with a laugh. "People I don't even know have been congratulating me."

Addie laughed. "You may not know them, but everyone knows about Derek and Meredith. And if they weren't here when everything happened oh so many years ago, you're the chief's wife. They know you."

Meredith sighed. "Popular isn't one of the things I had on my list of things I wanted to be when I grew up. It wasn't on my list in high school either. Why have I been cursed with it now?"

Addie giggled again. "Because you're you."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Callie was standing in front of the surgical board, looking for an empty spot when she noticed something particularly curious.

"Why is Shepherd the resident on Addie's surgery?" she asked out loud, not understanding why the chief of surgery would be assisting on a Neonatal surgery anyway.

"He's not," a voice answered behind her. Callie spun around and came face to face with Derek Shepherd himself.

"Well I don't remember there being any other Shepherd's walking these halls, especially not any residents."

Derek laughed. "Marriage can change people you know."

Callie finally understood. "Meredith is Dr Shepherd!"

"There you go," Derek answered with a laugh.

"How come nobody told us at the wedding?" Callie asked.

"Hey, I didn't even know until the next day."

Callie tilted her head for an explanation.

"I found the lab coat and ID card sitting on my desk, saying Dr Meredith Shepherd. Richard and Meredith had just sat there smiling as I figured it out."

Callie nodded her head. "Well, I have patients to check up on."

Derek nodded. "Yeah and I have paper work that needs some looking after."

Callie laughed. "Have fun."

"Like always."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After her successful surgery with Addison, Meredith headed down to the pit to see if anybody needed her there. She found a young girl was doing a lot of throwing up. She complained of abdominal pains.

"I swear, if you're pregnant Stacy…" the lady, whom Meredith guessed was her mother exclaimed. She didn't seem too happy.

Meredith walked up to them. "Hi, I'm Dr Shepherd." She felt weird introducing herself like that. "And I can say from personal experience that I went through the same thing you're going through now. The nausea, the abdominal pains. And by the sounds of it, you're not pregnant. Neither was I. I'm going to have to run a few tests, to confirm your case, but it looks like you've got appendicitis."

The mother let out a breath and stopped pacing. She sat down in the chair beside the bed.

"I'm going to take you up for some tests, just because it's necessary to confirm your case, and when we know for sure if that's what it is, we'll let you know."

When Meredith and Stacy returned from their tests, Meredith confirmed that it was appendicitis and that they'd have to do an appendectomy.

She then proceeded to making her way to the ER desk to page Dr Bailey. When she arrived, she seemed to be looking for someone.

"Dr Bailey, who are you looking for?" Meredith asked.

"Dr Shepherd paged me here, I just don't see him."

Meredith giggled which caught Miranda off-guard.

"I paged you here, Dr Bailey," Meredith explained. "I have a sixteen year old with appendicitis. She needs an appendectomy."

Miranda shrugged her eye brows, then noticed the name on Meredith's lab coat.

"Dr Shepherd…" she finally understood. "We'll talk about this later."

Meredith laughed as she led her former resident to her patient.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After her second surgery on her first day back, Meredith felt an exhaustion she had never felt before. It had only been six hours since her shift started, and yet, she felt more tired than she ever had after a forty-eight hour shift.

"It's probably because you're pregnant Mer," Derek used as an explanation when she came to see him in his office after her appendectomy.

"I'm not even two months along yet! If I'm this tired now, how will I last another seven months?"

Derek could see the tears starting to build in the corners of her eyes. He wasn't used to Meredith crying, and it still hurt to see her broken like this over the little things. He pulled her closer to him and with his hands around her waist, he kissed the top of her head. She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up in his eyes.

"I love you," she said with a smile.

"I love you too, don't ever forget that."

"I know."

A knock came at the door and Derek had barely invited the person in when Miranda burst through the doors.

"You changed your name?" she exclaimed.

Meredith just nodded as a smile started to build on her lips.

"You know, it makes you less independent, changing your name," Miranda tried to argue.

"No, it makes me feel like I belong for the first time in my life," Meredith said in a very calm voice. "You don't know what my childhood was like, and I don't want to be Ellis Grey's daughter anymore. I don't want to be a Grey period anymore. I've found my family."

She looked up to Derek who smiled in response.

"You better not have told her to do this," Miranda said as she pointed to Derek.

"Trust me, I had nothing to do with it. I only found out the day after the wedding."

Miranda looked back and forth between the couple, and finally she smiled.

"You guys do make a cute couple in the end. Your children will be precious." And she walked out, leaving the other two with their mouths hanging open.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"So are you planning a big wedding, a small wedding…?" Izzie asked Lexie while they were eating supper at Izzie and Alex's house. Carolyn was sitting at the table, laughing interiorly at the expression on her soon to be daughter in law's face as Izzie started asking her all of these questions.

"I really liked Derek and Meredith's wedding," she answered. "It wasn't too big, but it was just right. And everybody they loved was there."

Izzie nodded. "It was a pretty amazing wedding. But I'm not organizing another surprise one. Too much secret keeping."

Lexie nodded. "No kidding."

"I think it was amazing," Carolyn said. "It was definitely the first surprise wedding I have been to."

"And probably the last."

Once they finished, Lexie got up from the table. "I want to show you guys something."

Izzie and Carolyn looked back and forth, but neither one of them knew what was going on.

Lexie led them outside and once Izzie realized they were headed towards the woods, she got a little more curious.

"Lexie, where are we going?"

Lexie smiled and started to explain. "We came by yesterday on our lunch break. Mark and I." They reached a cottage that was slightly bigger than Izzie and Alex's, but looked to be about the same style. Trees surrounded it on three sides, and the fourth had a view of the water. Lexie pulled out a key and smiled. "This one's ours."

The expressions on Izzie's and Carolyn's faces were much the same that Meredith and Derek's had been the night before.

_Lexie and Mark had found a break in the hospital rush and decided that they wouldn't be missed if they left for a little while. Besides, they were both on-call, so they would be paged automatically if somebody needed them._

_They wanted to show Meredith and Derek their new home before they told anybody else. It felt like the right thing to do. _

_When they got to Meredith and Derek's, they weren't surprised to see them lying on the couch together. It seemed to be quite often that they were like this._

"_Hey," Meredith said as she saw them walk in. She sat up and Derek followed her actions and sat up too. "What's brought you guys here?"_

_Lexie and Mark smiled. "We want to show you guys something," Mark answered. "Where's mom?"_

"_She's having a nap," Derek answered._

"_That's too bad," Lexie answered. _

"_You can always show her tomorrow when you get off," Mark suggested. Lexie nodded._

"_Show her what?" Meredith asked._

"_Follow us."_

_The four of them got into Mark's car and headed down towards the Inn._

"_This is déjà view," Derek said with a laugh. "Mark not telling us where were going, then being led down to the Inn."_

_Meredith laughed._

_But they didn't pull into the same driveway as they had the last time. They passed the little dirt drive that led to the Inn and turned into the next one. _

_When Mark stopped the car, they all got out. Meredith and Derek both looked at the house there in front of them._

"_It's ours," Mark said with a smile._

_Meredith and Derek's looks were both ones of surprise. _

"_Would you like the grand tour?"_

Lexie asked the same question to her two new guests, even though it was very much the same as Izzie's. But they nodded anyway.

It seemed like all of the Seattle Grace crew was growing up. And it felt amazing.

**I know, I know ... it's another slow chapter ... but I promise, they will get better ... not too long from now ... it's coming, I promise (:**

**.Enjoy!**


	27. Fun times and fire works

**Disclaimer: I do not own the world's best show, but I do own some of my own characters (:**

The rest of the month of May had been a great month for the most. Carolyn left after an extra week in Seattle and Meredith had had lots of talks with her new mother about everything and nothing. She felt like a whole new person around this woman, and she had to admit, it was a sensation she couldn't help but love.

Lexie and Mark moved into their new home and the two of them, along with Izzie and Alex had had a barbeque to celebrate all of their big steps. They spent a day, well, an on and off day for some people since a lot of them were working different shifts at the hospital that day, but overall, all of their friends had shown up for parts of the day, sort of as a home warming party.

Jackson and Cristina continued to get closer, even with Preston now working at the hospital. The Seattle crew had been quite shocked to see that there had been no awkwardness between the ex-couple, and they built a friendship that even they didn't expect would grow. And Jackson, who felt a little worried about all of this in the beginning, learnt to realize that he wouldn't lose Cristina, no matter what.

Addie had been seeing Sam more and more often, and they became very close. She was sure she had found the right guy. She was happy now, happier than she had been in a long time, and she didn't think that anything could blow her bubble. And she hoped nothing would.

As for the others, Richard had found the happiness he had been looking for a lot in the past few years and was spending much more time with his wife, and now his very special kids. Jackson and Meredith both spent a lot of time with the couple, and they started feeling like a real family. Miranda realized how much she missed her son when he was with his father, and she had even been caught crying one day because of it. It was then that she finally decided that she needed to put her son before everything else. And their bond grew much bigger.

Catherine had recovered fully from her brain surgery and was now a nurse at Seattle Grace. Sienna Grey had moved to British Columbia and had actually come down to visit Seattle again at the end of the month.

And Meredith and Derek had had a very happy month. Things were going smoothly with the baby, and their relationship grew stronger and stronger, if that were possible. Their house was coming along so well. It had only been a month and it already seemed to look like a house, sort of. Both Derek and Meredith had been communicating with the Shepherd sisters quite regularly. Meredith felt great after spending an hour on the phone with Natalie talking about things she never had the chance to discuss with her sisters growing up. And she had also spent a lot more time with Lexie.

As impossible as it seemed, it still hadn't gotten around the hospital that Meredith was pregnant. Because if it had, they would have known. The whispers would have been enough of an indication. But nothing.

The month of June had just been slow. It seemed almost impossibly slow, as if it would never end. But when finally the first week of summer came, they knew it had arrived. The sun shone very early in the morning, but also set quite late. It gave Meredith and Derek something to look forward to in the evenings. On the nights they both had off, and that it was relatively nice out, which quite surprisingly had happened a lot more often for Seattle than usual, they'd head out to their land and sit in the place that would one day be their wraparound porch and watch the sunset over the bay.

It was one of the last days of June that Derek had gotten the surprise of his life. He had been sitting in his office, doing – of course – paperwork, when a knock came at the door.

"_Come in," he said, as he expected one of his many doctors coming to complain about something or other. But when he looked up, his jaw dropped._

"_Not expecting me, huh?" asked Amy as Derek got up from his seat behind his desk._

"_Amy!" he said as he gave her a hug. "What are you doing here?"_

"_I was checking up on you, of course!" she said with a laugh. "No I'm joking."_

_She decided she'd sit down in the chair designated for guests, where Derek sat on the opposite side of his desk, waiting to hear why his sister was here._

"_Julian had been offered a job transfer, about two weeks before we came to Seattle," she started to explain. "He discussed it with me and we thought we'd check out the place while we here for the wedding. When we got to the wedding and we heard about how Dr Hunt was leaving, it was like a sign. You know those signs that you sometimes get, ones that make you think, 'this is really what I was looking for, right?'"_

_Derek just nodded, having had a lot of those in his life. _

"_Well the opening for Trauma told me that this was it. We talked to Kayla, since Alyssa and Daniel are too young to really understand everything, and when she told us about how she would do anything to get away from the awfully mean girls in her class, we decided. We're moving to Seattle Der."_

_Derek jumped from his seat and brought his baby sister in for the biggest hug of her life. _

"_Let's look at a contract," he said, trying to go back to being as professional as possible. But the grin on his face made it sort of impossible._

_"Guess what?" Derek said later that night, once he was home with Meredith. He was smiling, so Meredith already guessed what he was about to tell her._

_"What?" she answered with a big smile. Derek hesitated before speaking again._

_"How'd you find out?" he asked once he had figured that she knew about Amy._

_"I saw Amy in the hallway. I sort of had to ask questions. So she told me everything," Meredith said with a smile._

_"I'm so glad to have her so close," Derek said. "I've felt so out of the family. I mean, I know that all of my sisters sort of live a little bit everywhere, but I still feel like I'm not as close as they are with each other. Until the wedding of course. But it will be good to have my baby sis around again."_

That week went by faster than the rest of the month and soon enough, it was July. The Seattle Grace crew had gotten together for a Fourth of July celebration of their own, even though it was only the second. Most of them were working on the holiday, especially since it was known to be a day where a lot of people showed up in their ER due to stupid decisions or ideas that lead to sometimes really bad injuries.

They decided to have a barbeque at Mark and Lexie's , along with Alex and Izzie's since it was not only the nicest place for it, but also the biggest. It also allowed them to shoot off fireworks on the beach. Derek thought about how next year, they could have it at his and Meredith's house, since it would be just as ideal as here for the celebration.

"This is quite the party," Mike said as he came down from the Inn, followed by Sam. Addison noticed them coming down, and instantly invited them to join the party.

"We've got plenty of food," Mark exclaimed from the barbeque where him and Alex were grilling everything from steaks to hotdogs to corn on the cob.

"And lots of good times," Meredith added with a laugh. She was with Richard and Derek at one of the many picnic tables outside.

"And you may find a few good laughs too," Catherine said as she applied sunscreen on her daughters back. She was getting impatient, wanting to go play with Laura and Tuck, but her mother insisted she put on sunscreen, and she knew better than to argue with her.

"I guess we could stay for a little bit," Mike said as he approached the table where food was already pilling high and cooler's were open. Jackson passed him a beer.

The crew ate, drank and laughed for hours. They all enjoyed themselves as if this were what they did every weekend.

"I can't remember the Seattle Grace crew ever being this fun," Preston said as he sat down beside Derek. "The closest thing that I remember to this was our camping trip."

Derek chuckled. "That wasn't a camping trip. That was a disaster."

Richard and Preston laughed. "Good point. But it had been fun."

Meredith had found her way over to her person who was talking to her sisters and Shawn, her brother in law.

"It looks like this wasn't such a bad idea after all," she said as she sat down beside Lexie. "Who knew we'd have this much fun?"

Cristina nodded. "We did have fun at your wedding, and this is pretty close to. All we're missing is music."

Just then, somebody turned on their car radio and turned it loud enough for everyone to hear it.

"Or not," Molly said with a laugh.

"Dance with me?" Jackson asked Cristina when he approached the table. The sun was starting to set and the mood was just right.

Cristina nodded with a smile. They joined Addie and Sam who were already dancing, soon followed by Molly and Shawn. Mark and Derek were quick to join Lexie and Meredith at their table when they saw all the other men dancing with their loved ones. Alex and Izzie had also joined the couples on the dance floor.

"We don't need to go dance with them if you don't want to," Mark said to Lexie, who just rolled her eyes in response and laughed.

"You're not getting away that easily."

The two of them got up and danced under the sunset with the rest of them. Derek and Meredith still stayed sitting at the table.

"I've beaten my fear of dancing in public," he said when Meredith didn't speak up.

"Oh yeah?" she said with a small giggle. The giggle warmed his heart.

"Yeah, ever since the wedding, I've decided it isn't as bad as I once believed it was."

Meredith took his hands. "You're all bark and no bite. Prove it."

She pulled him up and brought him out in the yard with the others. He wrapped his arms around her still tiny, three and a half month pregnant body as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He couldn't help but smile at the way the sun reflected on her glowing cheeks.

"God, you're beautiful," he said as he kissed her deeply. They only pulled away when they needed air.

"You're not too bad yourself."

Derek smiled. "I don't know what I'd do without you," he said as he pulled her closer.

"Me neither," Meredith replied as she rested her head on his shoulder.

"And we'll never have to find out."

Once they had all gotten tired of dancing, Mark suggested they shoot off some fireworks. They all got ready to head down towards the beach, changing into warm clothes and collecting blankets. The night was a little chilly, but it didn't stop them from having fun.

Once on the beach, Meredith found her way to where Richard, Adele, Derek, Addie and Sam were sitting. She had been one of the last ones down, since she needed to take a bathroom break before heading down. She didn't know how long they'd be down at the beach for, and knowing the crew well enough, she thought it could be a while.

"Look who finally joined us," Addie exclaimed, being the first to notice Meredith walking towards them, wrapped in a sleeping bag. Derek turned around immediately, knowing who it was and smiled.

"I saved you a spot," he said with a wink as he patted his lap. Meredith just smiled and took the offer. She plumped down on his lap and leaned against him for support. Like always, he wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his hands on top of hers which were in their usual position, on her stomach, protectively. It had become something that Meredith did without thinking, but she had to watch herself at work if she didn't want anyone to have their suspicions.

Alex and Preston had decided they'd volunteer to shoot off the fireworks. The first one went off a little crookedly, but once they got a hang of it, they were flying high.

They sat out and watched them for a good twenty minutes. Them being the store bought ones, it didn't take long to finish. Mark then suggested a bon fire. Everyone agreed, other than Miranda, and Molly and Shawn, whose kids were getting restless. They said their goodnights and headed out.

The entire group, Meredith, Derek, Richard, Adele, Addison, Sam, Mike, Jackson, Cristina, Mark, Lexie, Alex, Izzie, Preston, Catherine and Stephanie sat around the large fire that they had started. It got warm very quickly, but that didn't warm Meredith up.

"You're shaking," Derek commented as he heard his wife's chattering teeth.

"Sorry," she apologized, still shaking.

"Don't apologize," he said. "Let's head into Mark and Lexie's, warm you up a little."

Meredith looked around the fire and noticed that Lexie, who was sitting right beside her in Mark's arms was listening to them.

"Everyone's out here though," Meredith argued. But she gave in, knowing that her body couldn't handle getting sick right now.

"I'll come in with you guys," Lexie suggested. "I've got chills."

The three of them got up, and headed in towards the house. Meredith was wrapped further in her sleeping bag, and Derek walked close behind, just in case she happened to fall over. She didn't look to stable.

They hadn't been inside for five minutes before Mark and Addie burst through the doors.

"What happened?" Addie asked as she approached the three of them who were sitting in the living room. Lexie was in one of the arm chairs, while Meredith was wrapped in Derek's arms, on the couch.

"Cold," was all she mumbled.

"Do you feel sick, nauseated, like your head is spinning?" The doctor was coming out, and Derek couldn't help but smile at the worried expression on his friend's face.

"Addison, do you remember the year the power went out in the middle of January and it got really cold?" he suddenly asked.

Addie shifted her attention from Meredith to look at Derek.

"Yeah, I froze my ass off. Why?"

"Because you're acting as if being cold is the end of the world. Sure, it could be a little different because she's pregnant and she has to not only keep herself warm, but also the baby, but it's not the end of the world."

"I know, I'm sorry, but aren't I allowed to worry about my favorite patient?"

Meredith laughed. "Just not too much," she said. "You have other people to worry about too."

She looked like she was warming up. There was more color in her cheeks and a smile on her face. It was a good sign.

Mark came out from the kitchen with a steaming hot cup.

"That better not be coffee," Addie warned.

Mark laughed. "No, it's hot chocolate." Addie nodded and Mark looked back at Meredith. "I know how much you love tea, but I thought it might be nice for you to try something else."

Meredith smiled. "Thank you." She took a sip and then looked at Derek. "Okay, screw the tea, we're getting hot chocolate from now on."

Everybody laughed just as the main door opened.

"Is everything okay?" they heard Richard ask from the doorway. Behind him were Adele, Jackson and Cristina.

"Yeah, Meredith just got a little bit cold, and Lexie decided to join us. Mark followed his fiancé back up to the house and Addie is just being the overprotective doctor," Derek explained. "Don't let us ruin your evening."

Cristina shook her head. "It's starting to get windy so Burke and Alex are putting out the fire. And if Meredith can't come to the party, well the party is coming to her."

Meredith smiled. "Thanks."

Soon enough, everyone was crowded into the living room. They had pushed everything against the walls so that there was more room on the floor. Everyone was sitting around on the floor, when Lexie had an idea.

"Hey, I have an old Family Feud game in the back of the closet," she said with a laugh. "Why don't we pull it out?"

Everyone thought it was a great idea and Lexie went and got the game. They divided into four teams of four. Derek, Meredith, Lexie and Mark were team one, Richard, Adele, Addison and Sam were team two, Cristina, Jackson, Burke and Mike were team three and Izzie, Alex, Catherine and Stephanie were team four.

They played for close to an hour when they realized that they'd never have a winner because they forgot to count points. They had been having such a great time that it didn't even matter anyway. Stephanie was getting tired so Catherine decided to call it a night too, and she ended up having to carry her daughter to the car.

Conversations started up in the room as things started to slow down. Mike and Sam headed back to the Inn, and Richard and Adele had said their farewells and headed home too.

The topic had shifted so many times, that Meredith had had a hard time following. But it did catch her attention when they started talking about weddings.

"I've got to say, out of all the weddings I've been to, Meredith and Derek's was the best," Izzie said. Meredith wasn't quite sure how they had gotten to this subject, but she started listening.

"I agree," Addie added.

"Although, Izzie's and Alex's was pretty good too," Lexie decided to add on.

"Yeah, but it started off as being Meredith and Derek's wedding too, so it all ends up back at Mer and Derek," Alex put in.

"Out of all the weddings I've been to, Derek and Meredith's was the best, but also the most interesting," Jackson thought out loud. He didn't notice that all the eyes were now shifted on him.

"You haven't been at Seattle Grace long enough to say that," Cristina argued. Although everyone was thinking it, no one dared bring it up. Other than Jackson and Lexie, they had all seen quite an interesting wedding.

It went quiet until Cristina and Burke exchanged glances and then burst out laughing.

"I wish you guys could see the expressions on your faces," Cristina said as she laughed.

Everyone sort of shifted their attention to get rid of whatever expression Cristina was talking about. But they were still shocked that the two of them seemed so comfortable about it.

"We've talked about it," Burke said, as if answering the question that was lingering in all of their minds. "And we've come to the realization that our relationship wasn't what we thought it was."

"And since we've become just friends, we've been able to laugh about it," Cristina said with a smile.

"We're friends now, and that's all we'll ever be, all we ever should have been."

Everybody nodded mechanically until Mark had the smart idea to change the subject.

"I heard, through the nurse gossip, that someone's finally been found to fill Owen's position," Mark said,

Derek nodded, but said nothing. It was official. Amy was their new head of trauma. She had signed the job contract and would be starting in two weeks. And although she hadn't said anything about keeping it a secret, Derek and Meredith had kept it to themselves. Derek was waiting for just the right moment to announce it to the staff. But he decide that telling the people who already knew her first would be a great way to get people excited about their new staff member.

"And who is it? Anybody we would have possibly ever heard of?" Cristina asked, being Cristina.

Derek couldn't help but let out a smile. He looked at Meredith who was smiling too.

"I'm not sure if I should tell you guys…" he said with a laugh.

"That's not fair!" Alex exclaimed. "You've clearly told Meredith, since she's got a huge grin on her face. Why can't you tell the rest of us?"

Derek laughed. "I didn't actually tell Mer."

"Then how does she know?" Jackson asked.

"The person in question told me," Meredith said with a smile.

"Just tell them already," Lexie said, as she smiled too. Mark looked at her with wide eyes, and everyone guessed by the look on Lexie's face that she knew too.

"What?" she asked. "It's a good friend of mine."

"Who is it?" Mark finally asked impatiently.

Derek laughed. "Oh you guys aren't getting off that easily."

"What?" Addie asked. "You're not going to tell us?"

Derek laughed. "I'm supposed to inform all of my staff at the same time. So technically, I'm not supposed to tell you. So you'll need to guess."

"What if we don't know who it is?" Alex asked.

"Oh you all know her, but not as a doctor," Meredith said, trying to help out Derek.

Mechanism's started working in everyone's heads. It was Mark and Addie, obviously, who caught on the quickest.

"It's Amy!" they both exclaimed at the same time, then laughed at the looks on each other's faces as they said it.

Derek nodded.

"Just what we need, another Shepherd," Cristina said with a laugh. "But it's good to know it'll be somebody we know and already like."

Derek nodded.

"Now that we've filled both positions, my job goes back to being… paperwork."

Meredith kissed the side of his head. "I'll just enjoy surgery twice as much so I can share my enjoyment with you in a replay of the surgery."

Derek sighed. "Just what I need."

Everybody laughed.

"I'm starting to miss being a doctor, spending all this time with a group of surgeons," Izzie admitted.

"Then why don't you come back?" Mark asked.

"Well, I'm not sure if I like the idea of being around all these dying people again, considering I was one of them. It changes your outlook when you come so close."

Meredith shifted her attention to the floor. Only Derek noticed her sudden change and he just pulled her closer to him in response.

"Besides, I might have another offer."

Everyone noticed how she looked straight at Meredith, and Derek knew where this was going. His mind flashed back to the first week of June, on a wet rainy day.

_Him and Meredith both had the day off, and they were spending it quietly at home, catching up on some sleep and a few episodes of CSI. It was close to lunch time when Izzie stopped by._

"_Oh I thought Derek was working today," she said as she noticed Meredith wasn't alone. "I thought you might want company, but you guys probably want to be alone on your day off."_

"_Izzie, stay," Derek instructed. He could only imagine how lonely she was on the days where Alex was working and on-call. Today was one of those days. "We weren't doing anything that you can't join us in." He pointed to the TV and updated her on what she had missed that episode._

_Suddenly, Meredith's cell started ringing. When she looked at it, the name came up as unknown and it wasn't a number she recognized._

"_Hello?" she answered._

"_Hello, Meredith?" a voice said on the other line. The voice came from a young woman, if not a teenager, and sounded frightened._

"_Speaking, and who is this?" she said, as she got up and signaled to Derek and Izzie that she'd be back in a minute._

"_It's Elisabeth Landon. We met at the hospital, you gave me your number for if ever I needed someone to talk –"_

"_Yes, of course," Meredith said as she remembered the very interesting day several months back. "Are you okay? Do you need help?"_

"_I'm okay, sort of, well okay as I will get, and I sort of do need help. But it's nothing to major. You said you were a doctor, right? Well, I think there's something wrong with the baby, and I don't know what to do. And I'm scared."_

_Meredith heard the sobs on the other line._

"_It's okay, I know what you can do. There's a free clinic at Seattle Grace. Go in there and tell whoever is there that Meredith Shepherd told you to ask for Dr Addison Montgomery. She's the best OB/GYN, trust me. If you have any problems, call me."_

"_Thank you, thank you so much. You have no idea how you've saved me."_

_Meredith smiled sympathetically, even though she knew she couldn't see her. "Anytime. And if you ever need me, you know how to get me."_

"_Thank you." And with that, she hung up. _

_Meredith headed back to the living room where she could here Derek and Izzie talking._

"_Meredith's not sure yet," she heard Derek say as she walked._

"_I'm not sure of what yet?" she asked as she sat down on the couch beside her husband._

"_What you're doing with the house."_

_She looked around at the place she called home for the last few years and thought about how someone else could really use a place like this. She thought of selling it, but felt guilty about keeping the money. Maybe she could donate it to the hospital or someone who really needed it. She then thought about Elisabeth and how a place like this, somewhere to get away too would help her. That's when it hit her._

"_I've got it!" she exclaimed._

_Derek and Izzie looked at her, waiting for her idea._

"_You know how I don't want to sell it, but I want someone to get good use out of it?" she asked Derek. He nodded. "What if I made it a place for young mothers and single mom's, somewhere they can go to when they need to get away from things?"_

_Derek smiled. This was not the Meredith he had met oh so many years ago, but the Meredith he had gotten used and fell absolutely even more in love with since the baby. "That sounds amazing," he said. "But, what gave you this idea?"_

"_I met a girl, Elisabeth, when I went in for my first ultrasound. She was scared, and we started talking. I gave her my number and told her she could call anytime she needed someone. That was her on the phone." _

"_We'd have to look into all the legal things with opening this type of thing," Derek said, as he thought about all the things it would consist of. "Do you think you can handle it all, with work and the baby?"_

"_I would love to help," Izzie joined in. "I don't have anything else to do. And it's such a good idea, that I'd end up helping in the end anyway. Why not start from the beginning?"_

_Meredith smiled. "It can be your project."_

"_And I'm sure the hospital can donate some money and services," Derek added. "We can even apply for some funding."_

"_I wouldn't mind working on this, I mean, for good," Izzie said. "I don't like the thought of going back to the hospital," she admitted. "But this way my medical degree won't get wasted."_

_Meredith smiled. "It's decided. This is what we're doing."_

"It's a project we're hoping to get going," Meredith said after explaining their idea.

"That sounds wonderful Meredith," Addie said with a smile. "You have no idea how many mothers I get in that are looking for something like this. You could help so many people."

"That's our goal," she said as she looked at Izzie. They both smiled.

**So it's the summer ... How I miss summer ... ): Anyway, that's not the point. The point is that this is the last chapter where nothing really happens, for a while anyway. Drama is just around the corner. And I'm putting a warning up now. If you have any questions on the content, feel free to ask me, either through review or an inbox message. But I want to make sure that you see it coming, even if that might ruin the intensity of the situation. **

**.ENJOY !**


	28. Bad feelings

**Disclaimer: I do not own grey's but tonight is grey's night, so I like to feel like I do (:**

** I apologize in advance for the next few chapters. I know you guys won't be impressed, but everything happens for a reason, right ?  
Thanks to all those who have reviewed! Even those I don't reply personally, I want all of you to know I really appreciate them all ! They make my day (:**

The "fourth" of July party had gone on until nearly one in the morning. Addie had left around midnight, followed closely behind by Preston, whom both had an early shift the next morning. The only ones left were Derek, Meredith, Cristina, Jackson, Alex, Izzie and obviously Mark and Lexie. But the group had gotten smaller when Derek noticed how drained Meredith looked and decided it was time they left too.

When it was just the six of them left, Lexie laughed.

"This brings back memories of a good night, the six of sitting around. What will we come up with tonight?" She was thinking about the first night of their wedding organizing.

"I'm done with organizing things until I'm fifty," Cristina announced, making everyone laugh. They were all surprised she had made it through the wedding.

"Soon enough it'll be our wedding," Mark said as he pulled Lexie closer.

"That leaves you two," Alex added with a laugh as he looked over at Cristina and Jackson. The expression on Cristina's face was priceless. Jackson was red.

Izzie, Mark and Lexie joined in on the laughter.

"Do you think someday it might happen?" Izzie asked.

Cristina looked at Jackson and then back at Izzie. "It would be more likely that you see me walking around the hospital with a toddler than with a wedding ring around my finger."

They laughed, except for Jackson who was still red and stunned.

"Hey," Cristina continued. "I never said neither of them would happen."

They all stopped, and their mouths hung low. Jackson snapped out of his trance and looked at Cristina.

"Really?" he asked, a glimmer of hope in the back of his eyes.

"You guys are all too easy to stun. I'm not as heartless and shallow as I once was. Hey, I almost already got married. Why does it come as a shock that I might want to get married?"

"_Because_ you_ almost_ already got married," Alex answered. "That's why."

It went quiet, and Lexie decided to take it on herself to change the subject to something that wouldn't be awkward for anyone sitting here.

"I'm getting worried about Meredith," she announced. They all looked at her as she continued. "She seems so drained. She's paler than usual and she doesn't seem to be gaining weight, even now that she's in her second trimester. Do you think she's alright?"

Mark shrugged. "I don't know. And it seems to be taking a lot out of Derek too. The two of them don't look too healthy."

"I wish we could do something for them," Cristina said as they sighed.

"I guess all we can really do is help them in every way possible, even just little things. They need to know that we'll always be there for them," Izzie suggested, and it got quiet again. They'd always be keeping an eye out for their friends.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Alex went to work with Mark and Lexie the next morning. When they had the same shifts, they'd sometimes get drives with each other, and that left Izzie with the car. Usually their drives consisted of small talk, but today the atmosphere was heavier.

"Have you ever had one of those feelings that something bad is going to happen?" Alex asked as they were driving.

Lexie nodded. "Now that you mention it, today feels like one of those days."

"It does," Mark agreed. They all looked at each other as if it meant something. But they brushed it off.

"I think we need to be more positive," Alex said, which made both Mark and Lexie laugh.

"Who knew marrying Izzie would change you so much," Mark said with a laugh. "Alex Karev is thinking positive."

Alex laughed. "Wow, you're right."

Lexie shook her head. "I don't care how many people tell me to stay positive, I still have a bad feeling about today."

The car went back to being quiet and it stayed that way until they reached the hospital. When they pulled into the parking lot, they noticed that there was a crowd of people outside of the hospital, all facing the same direction. Mark, Lexie and Alex all looked over in the same direction and gasped.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Meredith awoke in Derek's arms, and felt like she was going to be sick. But not the same sick she had experienced for the last three months. She felt like today was going to be a bad day.

"Good morning," Derek said as he noticed her awake.

Meredith just nodded.

"Are you okay?" he asked, a worried expression on his face. She looked him in the eye and shook her head.

"I have this feeling," she said, trying to think of a way to explain 'this feeling' to Derek.

"What kind of feeling?" he asked.

"A bad one," was all she answered.

Derek sat up and pulled her up with him. "And this feeling, does it have to do with anything in particular?"

Meredith shook her head slowly. "I don't know," she whispered. "It's the same feeling I had the day of the bomb."

Derek stopped breathing momentarily. _This couldn't be good, _he thought to himself.

"Do you want to stay home today?" he asked her, not wanting to make her work when she was thinking about the bomb and had a bad feeling.

She nodded. "I think it might be a good idea."

Derek nodded too. "Okay then." He pulled her onto his lap and she cuddled herself in his hold. She felt safe in his arms, and she wished that she could stay here until her feeling was gone. But she knew that Derek needed to work.

Just as Meredith was about to fall asleep, Derek's pager went off. Meredith shifted and Derek reached out to the night table to pick it up.

"No, it can't be," he said as he looked down at his pager.

"What is it?" Meredith asked.

She looked over to the pager and all she read were the two words that appeared on the tiny screen.

_Code Red_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Addie had been in the hospital, talking to Catherine, whom she had become very good friends with, when the fire alarm went off.

"Does this happen often?" Catherine asked as people started making their way to the closest door. They followed the crowd and headed out too.

"The last time I remember something like this happening was when a patient lit a cigarette while attached to oxygen. The fire was controlled, and other than his burnt skin, nothing big happened."

But when they reached the parking lot and people were screaming and pointing upwards, Addison knew this was definitely something. She looked up towards where everyone was pointing and gasped at what she saw.

The helicopter that had been parked on the roof for the last day was now engulfed in flames. It was hard to tell that it was a helicopter, to anybody who didn't know that it was a landing pad. But Addie had been there when the patient had been flown in yesterday morning before she had gone out to Mark and Lexie's.

"What happened?" she asked one of the policemen on the scene.

"We're not sure yet, but by the looks of it, it was an oil leak. We've evacuated the building, and it doesn't look like it's that much out of control. But the firemen still haven't figured out how we're going to stop it yet, and that could be a problem."

"Is there anybody who's been hurt?" Addie then asked.

The policeman shook his head. "Nobody was on the launch pad when it happened. We got a phone call when somebody had noticed the smoke as they pulled into the parking lot. So far, there have been no injuries."

"What about all the people in the hospital that are in critical conditions?" Catherine asked. "We can't evacuate people who are on life support."

"There are ambulances coming back and forth between here and Seattle Presbyterian. Hopefully, we'll be able to evacuate everyone without there being any incidents."

Just then, Addison saw Mark, Lexie and Alex approach.

"What the hell happened?" Mark asked no one in particular.

"Gas leak," Addie answered. "But so far it's under control."

"Does Derek know his hospital in practically on fire?"

"Oh he knows," they heard the very familiar voice of their chief behind them.

"What's going to happen if they can't stop the fire?" Lexie asked.

"I don't know," Derek said while shaking his head. "Let's just hope it doesn't get that far."

"Isn't it weird how we all had a bad feeling something would happen?" Alex said as he watched the helicopter continue to burn.

"You guys had a feeling too?" Derek asked. "Meredith woke up with that feeling. I gave her the day off, knowing what happened the last time she had a 'feeling'. It was moments later that I got the page."

"What happened the last time she had a 'feeling?'" Catherine asked, a little lost.

"She ended up holding a bomb inside of some guys chest, pulling it out and watching it blow up in front of her face in the OR hallway," Alex explained.

"There was a bomb in the hospital?"

"That's how I reacted," Lexie said.

"No wonder she didn't come to work today. I wish I'd get those feelings before something bad happened."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Cristina, Jackson and Burke were in the middle of a coronary artery bypass surgery when their pagers went off. Burke instructed one of the nurses to check them, but she didn't make it to the table where their pagers were sitting when they heard the fire alarm go off.

"This can't be good," Jackson mumbled.

"I want one of you to contact someone who can tell us what the hell is happening," Preston instructed. The nurse nodded and went off towards the phone.

"What do we do if it's an actual fire?" an intern asked.

"We're doctors," Preston answered. "And our job as doctors is to save people, no matter the circumstance. I've been in worse situations than this." He looked at Cristina, who knew immediately that he was talking about the bomb.

"Helicopter is on fire on the launch pad," the nurse announced after getting off the phone. "The entire hospital is in evacuation mode incase it spreads."

Preston groaned as he realized this wouldn't be easy.

"Anybody who's to afraid to stay and won't be able to concentrate properly on the surgery can leave," Preston instructed. Nobody moved. "Good, now let's finish this as fast as we can so we can get out of here."

They all nodded and continued the surgery. Luckily there were no complications and they finished it faster than expected. The entire team, along with the patient headed outside to the parking lot where they saw the scene in front of them.

They saw the flames on the roof, and the people watching in horror as the fire started to spread. There were police cars, fire trucks and screaming sirens. Cristina was the first to notice Derek and the others standing by one of the policemen.

"We have a patient who just had heart surgery and who needs to be taken care of immediately," Preston said to another police officer who was standing nearby. The police told him to bring him to where ambulances were doing pickups.

Jackson followed Cristina towards Derek and the others.

"Derek, what's happening?" Cristina asked as she approached.

He explained to her the situation in the same words the police officer had done. Cristina took it all in, but couldn't help but wonder what would happen in worst case scenario.

"And if the building burns to the ground?" she asked.

"We have to hope it doesn't get that far," was all he answered. It was then that Cristina noticed that her person was missing.

"Where's Meredith?" she asked, now a little worried.

"At home," Derek answered. "She had a bad feeling that today wasn't going to be a good day. Looks like she has some sort of way to tell when bad things are going to happen."

Cristina just nodded, accepting his answer although she had a feeling of her own. A feeling that _this _wasn't what Meredith had a feeling about. But she didn't say anything.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

It was close to one in the afternoon when the fireman had finally been able to access the roof of the hospital and control the fire. Only half an hour later was the fire out, and Derek sighed in relief as he thought about how little damage it had done. They had been so lucky that the only thing that had been touched was the roof of the hospital. It was so thick that it didn't even reach the ceiling of the top floor. There were a few electrical things they needed to fix, and definitely some possibilities of leaking through the roof, but in a few days, everything would be all fixed. They were very lucky.

As the chief, he instructed all of his doctors to go back to work, and only leave the top floor to the repair crew that had already shown up. Things went back to a normal pace, and he could finally breath, and make a phone call.

"Hello?" Meredith answered the phone.

"Hey," he answered, and he felt his heart lighten as he heard her voice.

"Derek! What happened? I've been watching the news, but it's not clear. Something about a helicopter blowing up?"

He explained to her the situation they had been faced with that morning. She took it all in, every word of what he said.

"But it's all good," he reassured her. "Mostly everyone has gone back to work and things are in order again. It won't be long before it will just be forgotten."

"Good," Meredith smiled.

"How are you feeling?" Derek then asked, after having told her everything he could about the situation.

"Pretty good," she lied. She still had a bad feeling.

"That's good to hear," Derek answered. "I'll be home late tonight," he continued, sounding upset. "A lot of things I need to sort out because of the fire."

"Good luck. Bye." Meredith hung up the phone and went back to bed. "It's okay," she said as she rubbed her belly. "I won't let anything ever happen to you."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Richard had been sitting at home with his wife drinking tea and listening to the radio. He hadn't been paying much attention to it, until Adele had turned towards it, a look of horror on her face and turned it up.

"What's wrong…" he trailed off as he listened.

"…when the helicopter pad caught fire at Seattle Grace at eight-forty this morning. There have been no injuries and the fire has been put out. The hospital is still open, minus the psychiatry and physical therapy wards. They are under repair until further notice."

Richard was stunned. "I need to find out what happened."

He ran over to the phone just as his started to ring.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hi Richard, it's Meredith."

"Meredith!" he exclaimed. "I just heard about the fire. What happened?"

She explained what she had understood had happened from Derek. "I knew you were off so I thought of calling you to make sure you had gotten the right information."

"Thank you Meredith, but you probably have patients to take care of. Don't worry about me."

"I'm actually at home, not working," she said. "It's a long story. Let's just say sick day."

Richard chuckled. "Well in that case, why don't you come over for a little while? That is, if you're not too sick."

Meredith laughed. "I was actually planning on sleeping for a little while. I need some of that. But I could come over around supper time? Derek needs to stay late because of the whole fire thing."

"Sounds good," Richard answered with a smile. "I'll tell Adele we'll be having an extra few people at the table tonight. See you tonight."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Once he had gotten his patients settled into their rooms and reassured them that everything was okay, Mark went looking for Lexie. He hadn't seen her since they had all gone back to work. He needed to make sure she was okay.

"Mark!" he heard someone call his name.

He turned around.

"Hey Jackson, how can I help you?"

Jackson looked him in the eye before speaking. "Can I trust you with something?"

Mark cocked his eyebrows, but nodded.

Jackson looked around. "Cristina told me that she had a feeling Meredith's 'feeling' didn't have to do with the fire, but she made me promise I wouldn't tell Derek, since if Meredith wanted Derek to know, he would have told her, and she's worried something is going to happen to her, and now I'm worried and –"

Mark cut him off. "Breathe!" he exclaimed. "Okay, now calm down." Jackson was visibly freaking out. "Have you tried calling Meredith to ask her if there's something wrong?"

Jackson shook his head. "No, Cristina won't let me."

Mark nodded. He knew what Cristina was like, and what she said goes. And it was even tougher on Jackson to go against what she said, since he was the guy in the relationship. But Cristina didn't scare Mark.

"I'll call her."

"You promised you wouldn't say anything!" Jackson exclaimed.

Mark shook his head. "I won't say this had anything to do with you. And I won't worry Derek unnecessarily. I'll handle it, don't worry."

Jackson nodded.

"And if you hear something let me –" He was interrupted by his beeping pager. "I got to go. But if you hear from Meredith, let me know!" he exclaimed as he raced down the hall to his patient. Jackson just nodded, without moving.

Cristina was going to kill him.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek had been doing paperwork since the fire had been put out. And doing paperwork didn't usually take much concentration. He found himself drifting to his thoughts a lot more often than when he was in surgery. Come to think of it, he didn't think about anything else but his surgery when he was in surgery. But paperwork meant drifting.

He was thinking about his Meredith, and their baby, like usual, and he couldn't help but smile. Addison hadn't given them much detail on the child growing in Meredith womb, but he had a feeling it was going to be a boy. He needed a boy. Someone he could take fishing with him, and teach him to play catch. But when he thought about having a girl, his smile brightened. A little Meredith. How could he argue with that? His own princess.

But when he thought about the baby, he couldn't help and think about all the problems they would probably run into between now and the baby's birth, and even after. It broke his heart. He could picture his tiny little baby, in an incubator, unable to function completely on his or her own. And Meredith, Meredith would be so terribly exhausted that she wouldn't even care that her baby was finally born. He knew he was probably exaggerating, but it felt like life really didn't want things to be easy on them, so that's how he thought. Negatively.

But his negativity changed when there was a light knock on the door and a small tiny little blonde girl walked in.

"Hello there Stephanie," he said, smiling. She smiled back.

"I'm sorry if I stopped you from working," she apologized as she came closer. "I didn't mean to."

Derek chuckled. "You're more important than paperwork, so don't even think about it." She came around towards him and he pulled her up on his lap. "How can I help you today?"

Derek had gotten used to seeing Stephanie around the hospital. She would come by here after school during the year, but spent a lot more time here now since it was the summer, and she usually just sat in the lobby or a meeting room and did her homework and read. But sometimes she'd do a little more adventuring. And it looked like she had found Derek's office.

He now knew why Meredith had gotten so attached to her. He didn't understand her way of being able to get people to love her so easily, but he saw it. And he couldn't help but smile every time he saw her. She reminded him so much of Meredith.

Sadly, it wasn't only her physical appearance that brought thoughts of Meredith to mind when he saw her. After hearing how she had become fatherless, his heart broke for the small child. She was living in the hospital, like Meredith had at her age. Luckily, she had a mother that loved her more than imaginable. Her mother was only here for Stephanie, for the money she so desperately needed as a single mom. Meredith hadn't been quite so lucky.

"Dr Derek, are you in there?" Stephanie looked at him funny and Derek snapped out of his trance.

"Sorry, of course I am. What's up?" he asked again, knowing she had probably already explained it all, he just hadn't been listening.

"I want to know where Meredith is," she asked. "I don't see her very much anymore. It's like she's disappeared!" she exclaimed.

Derek laughed. "Meredith isn't always feeling very good, so she stays at home."

Stephanie suddenly had a serious expression. "Is she okay? Is she sick? Is it the baby?"

Derek stopped laughing and hung his head. "She's okay, sort of, and she is sick a lot, but she won't admit it. And it's not the baby's fault. He or she just doesn't always do what is best for Meredith. But it doesn't know it's doing something wrong."

Stephanie nodded her head, hinting that she understood, at least sort of. "I hope she gets better," she said in a whisper.

"Me too," Derek agreed. _Me too._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"That was quite a day," Addie said as she returned her chart to the nurse's station.

"I'll say," Catherine answered. "What will it be tomorrow?"

Addie sighed. "It seems there's always something going on here."

Catherine nodded. "Have you seen Stephanie around lately?"

Addie shook her head. "I can't say I have. But she's usually pretty good at staying around here. I wouldn't be too worried. Somebody must have seen her. But I'll keep an eye out for her."

"Thanks," Catherine said as Addison continued to visit her patients. She needed to make a quick visit to Derek's office before she went home, so she wanted to finish rounding on her patients as quickly as possible.

When she had finished checking her last patient, she started making her way to the chief's office. But she didn't make it there when she ran into the chief himself and the missing person. She was holding his hand and Derek was spinning her around.

"It looks like you've found your new best friend," Addie said with a laugh as she approached them while they crossed the catwalk.

"Addie! Derek's spinning me like a ballerina!" she exclaimed. Derek laughed.

"She came to visit me when she got here. She helped me with my paperwork."

It was Addie's turn to laugh. "Hey, Stephanie. Your mom's looking for you. Maybe you should go find her."

Stephanie nodded as she ran off to find Catherine.

"Cute kid," Addie said when she had disappeared. She turned around to face Derek and she noticed the glow in his eyes.

"I'm going to have my own kid soon Addie! Can you believe it?" Derek was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning.

Addie giggled. "I can actually, considering it has been several months since I have found out."

Derek nodded, still lost in his own little imagination world.

"I wanted to come remind you that Meredith is due for a check up on Tuesday."

Derek nodded. "I know."

Addie just nodded. It was silent.

"Well, I'm heading home," Addie broke the silence. They hadn't had one of these silent moments in a longtime.

"Yeah, I should probably…yeah."

Derek just nodded, feeling as if he didn't have anything to say. They were friends, and they had been for a long time. Why did they all of a sudden have an awkward moment? But it passed. They both got back to chatting normally as they made their way towards the main doors.

_Weird, _they both thought.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After her nap, Meredith decided to occupy her time by going through home decorating magazines before she headed over to Richard and Adele's. She was looking at paint colors for their new house, along with stuff for the nursery. The idea of there actually being a nursery still brought chills.

Suddenly, she heard the doorbell ring. _Weird,_ she thought. _Who would that be?_

The people that she knew would usually just walk in. They didn't bother knocking, unless they knew Meredith and Derek were alone. Then they just didn't bother coming over. But the doorbell? Nobody ever used that.

She got up from the couch and made her way over to the door. When she opened it, she was faced with a tall man, about her age, in jeans and an old ratty tee. Meredith recognized the guy, but she couldn't put a name to him, or where she knew him from.

"Hello," she said. "Can I help you?"

The guy looked a little hesitant before asking. "Does Izzie Stevens live here?"

Meredith shook her head. "Not anymore. She just moved. Would you like me to tell her you dropped by?"

The guy shook his head. "No, that's alright. I'll find her eventually."

Meredith thought about giving him her new address, but decided against it. Something about this guy told her not to. He was about to leave when she saw him scrunch his eyes, then widen them.

"Meredith Grey?" he asked. He caught Meredith a little by surprise, her not knowing how he knew her. But then she started putting pieces together. She knew him, from college. But other than that, she couldn't think of anything. No name, no history. Maybe one of her one night stands?

Then it hit her.

It was him.

Drake Hansen.

**DUHN DUHN DUH ! You all remember who he is, right ? **


	29. Pain for all SORRY!

**_Warning: This chapter contains very touchy subjects.  
_Okay, so I'm very sorry for this chapter. And I know you'll all be mad, but it has a reason behind it. Also, I've realized that a lot of you don't remember who Drake Hansen is. It will be mentionned later on in this chapter, but I thought I'd help you guys out a little bit. He's not from the show, he's a character that I created and that we meet through Izzie at the beginning of the story.**

**SORRY !**

_Meredith was in her last year of college, final exams were in full swing. Soon, she'd be out of here, and starting her life as a surgeon. Med school was just around the corner. And she almost felt, excited._

_She had just finished her last exam, and was heading out with a group of friends to the regular bar to celebrate. The usual crowd was there, along with a lot of others from her classes, people who had also just finished their college years. It was a night for celebrating._

_She wasn__'t quite drunk, but she wasn't sober either. Let's just say a few more drinks would have put her over the top. But the memory was as vivid as can be. _

_A man she knew from one of her classes grabbed her by the wrist, and pulled her towards the exit._

"_Where are we going?" she asked, not quite nervous, but not comfortable with the situation. He just pulled her to one of the many cars in the parking lot. He locked the doors and got really close, to close for her likings. _

"_Meredith Grey," he whispered. "I heard you're known for sleeping around."_

_Meredith knew what was going on. "Maybe," she answered, being totally honest. "But only with guys that catch my interest." She was attempting to be flirty, but the man in the car didn't take it that way. He pulled her closer._

"_Am I your type?" he asked, almost angry._

"_Not really," she answered teasingly. But what happened next she did not expect._

"_Well that's really too bad, cause I'm going to get what I want anyway."_

_Meredith didn't have time to react. He had already ripped off her shirt, leaving her in her tank top._

"_What are you doing!" she screamed. He didn't react. He was trying to get his way around the zipper on her jeans when she pulled up her strength. She kicked him, hard, just in the right place and swiftly unlocked the door and ran out. And ran. She felt angry, and hurt. But mostly, she felt strong. She got herself out of a bad situation._

_She had never seen Drake Hansen since that night. He hadn't shown up for graduation, or even to say his goodbyes to his class. Meredith had felt relieved, and then she had just forgotten._

The memories came flooding back. Meredith was dumbstruck.

"Remember me?" he asked, in an almost amused tone of voice. He took a step in the doorway and closed the door behind him.

"Get the hell out of my house," she said, trying to sound angry, but her voice was shaky. She couldn't pull it off.

"Or what?" he asked.

"I..I… My husband… he'll hurt you."

"Married?" he asked, a little shocked.

He grabbed her left hand for proof and saw the rings. Meredith thought that would get him to back off. She thought it might be enough to make him change his mind.

"Hmmm," he said as he examined them. All of a sudden, he grabbed a hold of both of her rings and ripped them off her fingers, making Meredith flinch in pain. It tore the skin right off. He threw them across the room. "That has never stopped me."

He pushed Meredith onto the couch. She was shaking, wracked with sobs. He kept her down with his arms. He was strong. She was trembling, scared not for herself, but the child she was carrying.

Her baby! Instinctively, she went to put her hands over her stomach, but she realized soon enough that her arms had been pinned down to the couch. She couldn't move. She could feel the fear, fear of what this was doing to the baby. It was already going to be hard enough...

"My baby," she whimpered slowly. Drake stopped all of a sudden, and Meredith hoped that this new information would get him to stop. But it didn't seem to make much of a difference.

Out of tears, out of hope, and mostly, out of strength, Meredith stopped fighting. She didn't want to be in this situation, and if it weren't for her child, she would fight to get out of it. But she was sure that giving in was the only way. And although it hurt, physically and emotionally, she'd do anything for her baby.

Nothing would ever put her in more pain.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Richard looked up at the clock as he and Adele were sitting at the kitchen table. Supper had been ready for close to an hour, but Meredith had never came. Six o'clock had come and gone, and as he looked up to the clock again, it red six fifty-four.

"Maybe she forgot," Adele said, knowing that her husband was worried about his daughter. But she knew Meredith wasn't one for forgetting. And she knew that her husband knew that. "Traffic?" she tried suggesting. But nothing worked.

"I'm calling Derek," he said as he got up. "If anybody knows anything, it'll be him."

Adele didn't argue. She was worried too.

"Hello?" Derek answered.

"Derek, it's Richard."

"Wanting to know about the fire?" he asked. He had expected getting a call from Richard about what had happened. But he didn't think it would take him this long.

"No, Meredith called and told me what she knew. And we invited her over for supper."

"Oh that's good to know. Tell her I'm heading home now," he answered, not thinking anything of it.

"Derek, she never showed up."

There was silence at the other end of the line.

"Derek?"

"Yeah, I'm here." There was a short pause. "She didn't tell me she was going anywhere. I tried calling her about half an hour ago and she didn't answer, but I thought she might be sleeping or something."

"I talked to her at about one thirty and she said she was going down for a nap. Do you think maybe she's still asleep?"

Derek brushed it off. "Probably." Then he remembered why she hadn't been at work with him. The bad feeling. "Richard, Meredith didn't mention anything about a bad feeling when she talked to you on the phone, did she?"

"No. I don't think so. What kind of bad feeling?"

"A 'bomb blowing up in front of your eyes' feeling. She told me she had the same feeling she had the day of the explosion when she woke up this morning."

It was quiet.

"I'm heading over there right now," Richard said without a second thought.

"I'm leaving as we speak," Derek said as he pulled his lab coat off and grabbed his keys from the corner of his desk.

Richard hung up, and after telling Adele where he was going, he headed out the door. As he drove, he just hoped everything would be okay.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Mark was heading towards the main doors, planning on waiting for Lexie, then heading home, when he remembered he was supposed to call Meredith.

He pulled out his phone and dialed the very familiar home number. After leaving a short message, the usual 'call me back when you get this,' he searched his contacts for her cell phone number. But there was still no answer. Just as he was hanging up, he saw Derek coming towards the doors, seeming in a rush.

"Have you heard from Meredith lately?" he asked, trying to seem casual. He turned quickly towards him.

"No. Why? What do you know?"

"I tried calling her, at home and her cell and she didn't answer," Mark answered. But he realized he had said too much.

"Why were you calling her?" Derek asked, worriedly.

Busted.

"Bad feeling?" he answered sheepishly.

"You're coming with me," was Derek's answer. "I want the truth, but I don't have time to waste."

Mark nodded and followed Derek to the parking lot. When they got in his car and were pulling out, he cracked.

"Jackson told me that Cristina had a bad feeling about Meredith's bad feeling. Something about it not having anything to do with the fire. But she's at home, right? I'm sure nothing bad happened. We need to stop being so negative."

"We've all turned negative, Mark," Derek answered. "It's like today is international negativity day."

Mark snorted. "Yeah, and Karev was the only positive one. What's happening to our world?"

Derek nodded. "I'm worried. Really worried Mark."

Mark nodded. "Me too."

They pulled into the driveway, and just as they were getting out of the car, Richard pulled in.

"Nice timing," he pointed out as he reached them.

"Meredith's gonna have some questions when we all walk in and she's just sitting there reading or something," Mark commented.

But Derek didn't hear him. He was already in the doorway.

"Meredith?" he called out. But there was no answer. He ran into the living room, where the first thing he noticed was her clothes on the ground.

"Why are these here?" he asked out loud.

As he picked them up, he noticed the small blood stain on the couch.

"What the…" he trailed off. "Meredith?" he called out again.

He ran up the stairs, and that's when he heard her. She was whimpering.

"Meredith!" he exclaimed as he ran into the room. She was wrapped up in her blankets, in the fetal position. That was a bad sign to begin with.

"Dddd…..der…..derek," she said between sobs. She turned around to face him. That's when she noticed the puffiness of her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

She just cried even harder.

"Meredith…" he pulled off the blankets and noticed that the clothes that had been downstairs had been what she had been wearing. She was indeed no longer wearing any clothes. But what tore him apart were the marks and bruises on her body. "Wha….what happe…happened?"

She just buried her head into his chest. She couldn't talk. And he wouldn't make her.

Mark made an appearance just at that moment.

"She needs to go to the hospital Mark," Derek said, on the verge of tears himself. "Can you grab her some clothes from the closet?"

Mark just nodded and grabbed what he could find.

"What…?"

Derek shook his head. "I don't know. Or I hope I don't know."

Mark looked at the now only partially naked Meredith. He noticed the bruises.

"Do you think…?"

Derek shook his head and let out a few sobs. "Oh God, I hope not."

Derek tried picking her up off the bed, but realized he was to run down to do it. Mark offered to help, and Derek couldn't say no. He couldn't do it alone.

When they were back in the yard, Richard just stared wide eyed at the scene that unfolded before him. Mark came out first, carrying a very pale, broken looking Meredith, followed by an equally as bad looking Derek. He didn't ask. He didn't speak. He just got into the driver's seat of his car as Mark put her in the back and settled himself in the front. Derek joined his wife on the bench in the back.

"Hospital," was the first, and only word spoken since leaving Derek and Meredith's room. Richard just nodded, still not sure what was going on, but sure that Mark and Derek had an idea. But the hospital didn't seem like quite the place to go, considering the attention that would be brought on the couple.

"Page Bailey," Richard instructed. "And Addison. Tell them to meet us at the east exit. The room right beside the door is empty. We won't attract people's attention."

Mark nodded and did as he was told. Richard stole a quick glance to the couple in the back. Meredith was still as pale as a ghost and the tears were still streaming down her face like waterfalls. But she made no sound. Derek was looking at her, a broken expression on his own face. What was going on?

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXX

"You were paged here too?" Miranda asked as she met Addie at one of the many isolated exits. She had no clue what was going on, but Mark had paged her 911.

"Yeah, Mark," was all she said.

"Any idea what it's about?" Miranda asked. Addie shrugged.

"No idea. But I have a bad feeling…"

Just then the doors opened and in came Mark, a broken Meredith in his arms. He was followed by a very pale Derek and a worried looking Richard.

"What the hell happened?" Miranda asked when they had placed her on the bed.

"Derek found her bruised up and whimpering in her room," Mark explained. Richard had stayed in the hallway, trying to calm Derek down before he let him see his wife.

The two women exchanged looks, and then looked back at Meredith.

"Meredith, did somebody hurt you?" Addie asked.

They were all thinking the same thing, but none of them wanted to believe their thoughts were true.

Meredith nodded.

"This person that hurt you, was it a man?"

Meredith nodded again.

"Crap, oh crap," Addie muttered under her breath. They knew it. The three people now standing at Meredith's bedside knew what had happened. "I need an ultrasound machine and Bailey, you need to do a pelvic exam," Addie instructed, wishing this was all just a nightmare.

She spun around when she heard the now heart wrenching whimpers coming from her friend.

"Derek…"

"She was raped? Wasn't she?" Derek was broken. He knew it since he had seen her in their bed.

"You shouldn't be here," was all Addie answered. Richard put his hands on his friend's shoulders and pulled him out of the room. Mark closed the door behind them.

A nurse came back with an ultrasound machine. _So much for their secret. Once one nurse knew, the hospital would know._

"Looks like this is the end of the secret," Addie said, directing it to Miranda.

"Oh no it's not," the nurse said. "Not yet."

That's when Addie really noticed who the nurse was.

"Catherine, thank God."

"I'm the only nurse who can keep secrets around here, so you're lucky to have me."

Addie nodded as she spread the cold jelly on Meredith's stomach.

"Is my baby okay?"

It was the first words Meredith had said since she had been in the room. Addie took a look at the screen and let out a breath.

"Your baby's heart rate is lower than it should be, but considering what it has just gone through, it's in a good place."

Meredith nodded as a few more tears ran down her cheek.

"He was looking for Izzie," Meredith said, out of the blue.

"Who was?" Mark asked, wanting to kill this guy.

"Drake Hansen. I went to college with him…" Meredith couldn't go any further.

"We'll find him Meredith. We'll make sure this doesn't happen again."

Meredith just nodded while Miranda checked her pelvis. "It doesn't look like there's any cracks. Just a few bruises."

Mark was the first one to notice her finger.

"We need to bandage it up," he said when the others had seen the skinless, and ringless finger.

He had put himself in charge of doing that, since it was his area. The three doctors all worked at doing what they were good at, and Catherine just helped when someone needed it. Meredith was in good hands.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

After pulling Derek out of Meredith's room, Richard decided the waiting room wasn't the best place to be. It would draw attention. He settled for heading out the door they had just come in and sitting on the bench beside it.

"It's going to be okay Derek," he tried comforting her.

"She was raped Richard! She'll never be okay."

Richard felt sudden sadness. He knew it was coming, but it just didn't feel real.

"She'll get through this," he tried convincing Derek. And himself for that matter.

"She'll always have the memory of some dirt bags hands on her, his lips on her body, his…" he was now in full fledged tears once again. "She'll never get completely through this."

Richard pulled up some strength. "You need to stay strong Derek." It was an order. "Meredith needs you to be strong, and your baby needs you to be strong."

"Oh God," he whispered. "The baby, the baby. What will this do to the baby?"

Richard shook his head. "I don't know Derek. But you still need to be strong, for your wife if anything. You guys have been through worse than this. _She's _been through worse than this."

Derek nodded as he wiped away a few tears.

"I'll be strong," he promised.

"Good."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Cristina was still worried for her friend. There was no way her feeling was about the fire. Nobody was hurt, and there was no way her being at the hospital would have made a difference. She needed to figure out what it was.

She made her way to the lobby, looking for someone who could give her some answers.

"Lexie!" she exclaimed as she got closer.

"Cristina," she answered.

"You haven't talked to Meredith today, have you?"

Lexie shook her head. "No but I think Mark was going to call her." She had talked to Mark before they went into surgery, and he had said something about checking up on Meredith.

"And where is this fiancé of yours?" Cristina asked looking around.

Lexie shrugged. "I don't know, but we were supposed to meet here and head out for supper. But he's nowhere in sight."

"Maybe he forgot you," Cristina said with a chuckle.

Lexie shook her head. "The car's still parked in the same place it was this morning."

"Have you tried paging him?"

Lexie nodded. "I've tried calling his cell too, but there's no answer."

"Surgery?" Cristina suggested.

"Not on the board."

They were quiet. But Cristina wasn't giving up.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Everything is going to be okay Meredith," Addison said as she laid her hand on her patient's. "Physically, there's nothing more than a few bumps and bruises. It's your emotional stability that worries me. It could affect the baby's stability. So until you've started to recover from this terrible traumatic experience, there's no work. None. You don't need to be on bed rest, but the stress levels at Seattle Grace are too high for my likings."

Meredith just nodded, thinking about how she could not lose this baby. She'd do anything for this baby.

"Should we let Derek in?" Mark asked. He knew his best friend needed to be with his wife right now. This was going to be a long road for him too.

Addison nodded.

Mark left the room and when he didn't see any sign of him in the hall, he opted for the door they had come through. He knew Derek wouldn't have gone to the waiting room, because he knew that people would stare at him wondering what was going on. And that would defeat the purpose of doing their best to keep this on the down low.

Richard and Derek were sitting on the bench when Mark walked out. When Derek heard the door open and close, he looked up and stood up when he saw his friend.

"Is she okay? Can I see her?"

"Physically, she's okay. But this will take a lot of time to recover from this emotionally. Addison will give you more details. You can go in and see her."

Derek ran in and Richard hesitated before getting up.

"I think we should give them some time, and then you can go see her. They need to be alone for a little while."

Richard nodded. "I know."

Mark headed back into the hospital, leaving Richard to his thoughts. He then remembered he was supposed to be taking Lexie out for supper, and that she was probably still waiting for her.

"Crap."

He walked as fast as he could towards the main entrance. When he got to the lobby, he noticed Lexie and Cristina sitting in a deserted corner.

"Lexie, I'm sorry."

Lexie and Cristina looked up when they heard his voice.

"What happened?" Lexie asked, almost mad. "What's your reason for leaving me here and not answering my calls?" She regretted her tone of voice when she noticed that Mark's eyes looked…wet. Had he been crying? "Mark, what's going on?" she asked, in a softer voice, one full of concern.

"Cristina was right."

Cristina jumped up. "Where's Meredith? What happened to her?"

"I…I can't tell you here. Too many people."

He led them to an empty on-call room. He knew that Cristina and Lexie had a right to know. They'd find out eventually.

"Richard, Derek and I all headed over to Meredith's after finding out she never showed up at Richard's for supper," he started from the beginning. "Derek found her in their bed, in a ball, whimpering and badly bruised up –"

"Oh no," Lexie shook her head.

"A man by the name of Drake Hansen, he… he…" Mark couldn't finish the phrase.

"Where is she? Is she hurt? Is she going to be okay?"

"She's in the hospital. Addie and Miranda have taken good care of her. The baby is fine, and other than bruises and bumps, Meredith is fine physically. But emotionally…"

"Can we go see her?" Lexie asked in a quiet voice.

"Derek is with her now, but we can head down that way and wait until they've had some alone time."

The two girls nodded and followed Mark to the deserted corner of the hospital. Addie, Catherine and Richard were in the hallway.

"How is she?" Cristina asked, to no one in particular.

Addie decided to speak up when no one else did. "It's going to be a long time before she can get over this, and she'll probably never forget it, but Meredith is strong, and you all know that."

"How's Derek?" Lexie then asked.

"Him, I'm not too sure," Addie continued. "He can't stand to see Meredith in pain. And this is affecting him even more since he has blamed himself for everything that has hurt Meredith. He's saying how he should have stayed by her side until her bad feeling went away. But he doesn't understand that he can't blame himself for everything. He needs to realize that things happen for a reason, even though it may not seem like it. He's got to learn that life isn't fair."

They all just nodded silently, until Catherine spoke up.

"Meredith said something about how he was looking for Izzie…" she trailed off.

"Somebody should contact her, see if she knows anything."

Mark nodded. "I'm on it."

"I'll go with Mark," Lexie answered. And they disappeared.

"Why do bad things always happen to Meredith?" Richard suddenly asked. "Why can't she just get a break? She's had a crappy life as it is. God, I wish we could put her in a bubble that would keep her away from harm."

"Well," Addie started. "I'm ordering her to always have her pager on her and there's an emergency button programmed on it. I don't want to have to get her a babysitter, but if something else happens, it may be necessary."

"Let's just hope nothing else happens," Cristina said in a whisper.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Do you have your phone on you?" Mark asked as he and Lexie went to find a place to make a very tough phone call.

"Yeah, where's yours?"

"It stayed in Derek's car. I just kind of forgot it there. We'll have to swing by the house before we go home to pick it up."

Lexie nodded. _No wonder he didn't answer._

As they made their way to Mark's office, they noticed a person that could help them out on their investigation.

"Karev," Mark called out when he noticed him at the nurse's station. "I need you in my office, now."

Alex looked at Lexie, and when she nodded, he obeyed and followed them, not saying a word until they had gotten to their destination and shut the door.

"Okay, am I in trouble?" he asked, a little worried.

Mark didn't bother answering. "Has Izzie ever told you about someone by the name of Drake Hansen?"

Alex went pale. Mark knew he was on to something.

"Alex, I need you to tell me what you know so that we can get him and kill him for what he's done."

"Izzie… he… the night I brought Izzie back… when I went to get her… in the rain," he looked at Lexie, knowing she understood. She had been at the house. She nodded. "He's the reason she came back here. That she called me. He… he…" Alex couldn't finish.

Mark just nodded. "That's what we thought."

Alex shook his head. "That's not all. It's not the first time. She went through it for almost a year, when she was in high school. He forced her. And he got her pregnant."

Mark and Lexie's jaws dropped.

"She has a daughter. A teenager now. And he's the reason she exists."

Mark nodded. Alex then clued in to something he didn't realize before.

"How do you guys know of him? Is he here?"

Mark looked down. "He… he…"

Alex cracked. "Oh no, is it Izzie?"

Mark shook his head. "It's Meredith."

Alex looked confused. "What?"

"He had been looking for Izzie. Stopped at Meredith's. He had gone to college with Meredith. And from there… we don't know anything other than he hurt her. And you know what…"

Alex just shook his head. "I don't want to hear it. He's hurt two people I love. I can't handle this." And with that, Alex left.

Lexie turned to Mark, her tears threatening to spill out. Mark just pulled her to his chest.

"It's okay. Everything's going to be okay."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After Mark had told him he could go see her, Derek couldn't think of anything but being strong for his wife. His beautiful wife, who was now broken and would go back to being dark and twisty. The mother of his unborn child was in a hospital bed, suffering from injuries that were much more scarring than what you could see. Sure, there were a few bad bruises, but it didn't nearly compare to the inner pain this would cause her, scars that would never heal, no matter how hard you tried.

He put on a brave face as he opened the door and Miranda, Addie and Catherine cleared Meredith's bedside and left, giving him sympathetic glances. He tried not to pay any attention to them, so his gaze shifted away from them, and landed on the patient herself.

"Oh God Meredith," he said as he felt the tears slip down his cheeks. He brought his shaking hand up to wipe them away, but they just kept coming, so it was pointless.

He didn't know if he should just sit in the chair beside her bed, or hold her like he wished he could. But he didn't want to hurt her. She was obviously in enough pain. So he just stood by her bedside and held her hand.

"Derek…" she whispered. "Please." She shifted her body a little bit, giving Derek the hint.

He lifted the blanket slightly, and managed to slip into the tiny hospital bed without shifting her around too much. She instantly cuddled herself in his arms and took both of his hands in hers.

"I'm here Meredith," he choked out.

"Our baby… our baby's okay Derek," she whispered as she let go of his hands to place them on her stomach. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the head.

"You're both okay. Everything will be okay."

**I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry... I know you must all hate me now, but I promise, things will get better... I needed this for another part of the story... I'm sorry, again...**


	30. Wet eyes and rough recoveries

Being on call always sucked. Especially when you were the only one in your group of friends on call. You could be out there with them, or even at home with the person you loved, but instead you were on call. Of course, if you ended up in on a surgery while you were on call, it made things just a little bit better.

As Jackson scrubbed out of a brain tumor resection with shadow Shepherd, a wave of worry washed over him. He knew something didn't feel right. It was like a negative vibe was flowing through the air. But no one around him seemed to notice it.

_It's just me_ he thought, pushing it aside.

He had been told he would be the one to let the family know that their son made it through the surgery, but would be in intensive care until they knew more. He didn't mind delivering the good news. It was bad news he couldn't stand.

After informing the family their loved one would survive, the air suddenly had that bad flow again. He pushed it aside once more and decided it was nothing more than the thought that just earlier that day, the hospital was on fire. _Probably just the aftershock. _He then remembered Cristina's worries about Meredith. _Nah, it can't be. I would have heard something, right?_

He left the room as the family hugged each other in celebration. He was leaving slowly when he noticed a very familiar face leaving a patients room, in street clothes and looking like a mess. He had seen Derek like this before, and he took it as a bad sign.

"Derek?"

Derek spun around as he noticed the young doctor. The tears started slipping out of his eyes.

"I didn't do it Jackson. You've got to believe me. It wasn't me this time. I didn't hurt her this time." He was looking for his trust.

Jackson knew who the patient was.

"Oh no, it's Meredith, isn't it?"

Derek just nodded. "She's asleep now, and I needed to go… I needed to get away … I couldn't let myself break down and wake her. I needed to let her sleep. But I don't want to leave her alone. Can you watch her?"

Jackson didn't know what had happened, but he knew that it was bad. Derek didn't even look this bad when they had had their incident several months earlier. This was definitely bad. But he knew Derek didn't have the strength to tell him what had happened. He'd wait. But right now, Derek needed him. Meredith needed him.

"Of course."

Derek just nodded as he walked away, looking like a zombie. But instead of heading towards the rest of the hospital, he went through the exit and disappeared into the night.

Jackson quietly opened the door to Meredith's room, not sure what he'd find. But when he did finally look over to his sister, he was glad to see that she wasn't attached to a bunch of machines and that she was breathing on her own. He hadn't known what to expect. Nobody told him what to expect.

He sat down in the corner. He would wait. Wait until he knew she would be okay. Until someone came. Until someone told him why his sister was broken.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"We need to go over to see Izzie," Lexie said as she got out of the car once they had pulled into their driveway. The drive home from the hospital had been quiet, but Lexie knew the silence hurt just as much.

Mark nodded. "We should."

They had left soon after they had called Izzie. There had been no answer, and it wasn't something they could just leave on the answering machine. So they decided they'd go see her, that way she could have someone to watch out for her if she needed it.

They had all decided that Meredith didn't need a bunch of visitors. They were letting Derek stay with her, and Derek decided who else they'd let in. Addie had been allowed in the check the baby, but she had gone very quickly. It didn't bother anybody, since none of them really knew what to say to their friend. She had been really hurt, and it wasn't something that was going to heal for a very, very long time. And nothing they could say would help. So they just made sure she was never alone.

Lexie, who couldn't handle being in the hospital anymore, had suggested they head home. Mark agreed, knowing they were no good to anyone at the hospital in the shape they were in. But they would help however they could.

"Lexie! Mark! Surprise seeing you guys this late at night," Izzie exclaimed when she opened the door. It was nearing eleven.

"Can we talk?" Lexie asked. It was then that Izzie noticed that neither one of them looked good.

"What… what's going on?"

Lexie looked down, and then at Mark.

"Meredith is hurt," Mark said.

"What? Is it the baby? Did she fall, or get in an accident? Oh God, is it bad?"

"Izzie, we should sit down," Mark said. "This could be a lot."

Izzie just nodded, looking like a petrified child.

"Just tell me she's okay," Izzie pleaded. "Tell me she'll survive."

"She's not all that hurt physically Izzie," Mark attempted to start his explanation. "We need to talk to you about someone."

Izzie just nodded. "Whatever helps Meredith."

"Alex already told us what he knew…" Mark started. It took a lot to get through this. "But we need to know what you know about… Drake Hansen," he finally managed.

Izzie's face went from worried to downright scared. She was as white as a ghost. And then she clued in to what they were saying.

"He hurt Meredith?" she screamed. "He went near her? He hurt Meredith?"

She got up from the couch and started pacing the room. Suddenly, she burst into tears.

"Alex said he'd protect me from him. That he'd never let him get near me. But he hurt me again. He hurt me by hurting Meredith. And nobody could help her. Derek is to Meredith what Alex is to me, and he wasn't able to help her. How am I supposed to know I'm safe?"

Mark and Lexie didn't know what to say. Izzie just kept mumbling to herself, things neither one of them could even understand. Lexie decided to speak up.

"You can stay with me when Alex isn't home, or even someone else. Meredith might want some company too, because she'll be on bed rest, but maybe not…Anyway, my point is, that if you're never alone, he can't hurt you."

Izzie nodded. "Thank you."

"And we'll find this bastard. He hurt my little sister, and my nephew and godchild. So it's my turn to hurt him," Mark added.

Izzie nodded and sat back down, taking this all in. _Drake Hansen was in Seattle._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek cried. He cried hard. Really hard. His car seemed to be the safest place for him to cry. Because he was alone. No one would be staring at him, questioning eyes. No one would be able to know that Meredith was hurt because of what he was showing. And no one could find him.

Or so he thought.

He cried, as hard as he ever had when he suddenly heard his car door open. He didn't have to see her to know who it was. The touch of her hand on his arm gave it away. But she stayed quiet.

She placed a box of Kleenex on his lap, before deciding she should go. She had done what she needed to do. Show Derek that she was there. But she didn't want to impose. So she would leave him alone to his thoughts until he needed her.

"Don't go," he whispered, almost inaudible as she was about to open the door. She turned back towards her long lost best friend, and was surprised when she noticed her vision was blurred.

"I'm sorry," she said as she wiped her tears. "I shouldn't be crying." She paused as Derek looked up. "But seeing you like this Derek breaks my heart. Seeing Meredith like this breaks my heart. She's become more than my patient Derek, she's been a friend. She's the one who got me to stay in Seattle, and things haven't been this good in, well … a very long time. And I know I shouldn't be talking about how happy I am about my life, because Meredith is hurt, but it's because of her that I'm so happy, so it's my job to make sure she's happy. And I know the only way to make her happy Derek," Addison said as she put her hand back on his shoulder. "The only way she can be happy is with you by her side. She needs you to give her strength. So you need to be strong. Mark is probably beating the crap out of the guy who did this to her at this very moment, so you don't need to worry about him. You need to worry about your wife and your child. They are depending on you to be strong. She needs her husband. And your baby needs its daddy."

Derek just nodded quietly, before looking up to his ex-wife. "Thank you Addie," he whispered. "I'm glad you're back in Seattle. I'm glad we're back to being how it used to be."

"Things have been better since you're with Meredith," she admitted. "You smile again, and not the forced smile. The McDreamy smile. And I like seeing you happy. So wipe that frown off your face and go comfort your family."

Family. He had always been the man of the house, always been the one to look out for the girls in his life. And now his favorite girl needed him. He had to be her knight in shining whatever. And he would be.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Cristina hadn't gone to see Meredith. Derek had told her that she could, that he knew she would want her there. But she hadn't pulled up the strength to do it. Until now. She had found the courage. I mean, she had been through everything with Meredith. What made this one so different?

The door to Meredith's room was open just a crack. She thought Derek was probably in there, asleep, or attempting to sleep. She didn't want to intrude. But as she looked through the doorway, she noticed a much more familiar form sitting on the couch at Meredith's bedside.

"How is she?" she asked as she walked in, sitting next to Jackson.

Jackson looked up as soon as he had heard her voice. "Cristina…" he trailed off. He noticed, even in the dark, that she had cried, or had been close to crying. Whatever she called it. "I don't know," he answered her question. "I don't know how she is, because I don't know what's wrong. What's wrong with Meredith Cristina?"

Cristina could hear the worry in his voice. She couldn't muster up the strength to say what Jackson wanted to hear. Or didn't want to hear. She just shook her head and Jackson saw a tear fall from her face.

"I was raped."

They had both been caught by surprise as Meredith spoke up. She had been fast asleep moments before.

"What…?" Jackson didn't believe his ears. "Has he been caught? Punished?"

Meredith tried sitting up, but she was still weak. "I don't know…"

Cristina finally decided to speak. "We'll get him Meredith. He won't be able to do this again."

Meredith nodded. And then she burst into tears. "Derek, Derek… he won't be … won't be able to look at me … without thinking… without thinking of him." She paused and took a shaky breath. "There are bruises… they're everywhere."

She cried into her hands and Jackson got up from his seat. "Shh Meredith. Don't say that. Derek loves you. This doesn't change that."

"Jackson's right," they heard a suddenly strong voice say from the doorway. "I still love you."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek didn't know where the strength had come from, but he knew he needed to be there for his family. Addison had knocked some sense into him.

"I'll always love you Meredith. Through thick and thin. In health or in sickness. Until I'm a hundred and ten, and we're stinky and senile. I'll love you beyond that. Forever."

Derek, along with Jackson and Cristina, saw the small smile build on Meredith's lips. They hadn't seen her smile since she had been found earlier that evening. Well technically, it had been yesterday. But that wasn't the point. She had smiled.

"I love you too," she said as Derek approached the bed. He sat on the edge of it and smiled at his wife.

"We love you too Meredith," Jackson said as he pulled Cristina closer to him. "No matter what, we're family."

Cristina nodded. "You've been strong for me, it's my turn to be strong for you."

"My family," Meredith managed to whisper before her eyes shut over and she fell asleep.

"Thank you," Derek said as he turned towards Jackson and Cristina. "Meredith needs her family right now. And I've discovered that I just needed a push." He paused as Jackson and Cristina nodded. "She needs everyone even more now."

"We know," Cristina said, Jackson nodding with confirmation. Meredith may not be lucky, but she had people in her life that made it look like she was.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Mark and Lexie had fallen asleep on Izzie's couch. After a long night with their neighbor, they had learnt the entire story. Izzie had opened up. It had been very late when Izzie had decided she needed sleep, and neither Mark nor Lexie had the strength to go home. So they just crashed on the couch. It was small, but it reassures Lexie that Mark would always protect her.

Mark had awoken when he heard the front door open. He opened his eyes and noticed Alex walk in, looking exhausted.

"I take it we're not the only ones who had a long night," Mark said as Alex crashed in an arm chair. Lexie stretched as she opened her eyes.

"I tried sleeping in an on call room, but I couldn't help thinking about Izzie being alone with that bastard on the loose. Am I ever glad to see you guys crashed on my couch," he added with a slight chuckle.

"I think we all needed each other's presence," Lexie spoke up with a yawn. "It's been a tough night."

Mark nodded. "Have you gone to see Meredith?" he then asked Alex.

He shook his head. "Didn't have enough strength. I didn't want to break down in front of her, but I knew I would. You?"

Mark shook his head. "Same as you."

"I thought we were men?" Alex exclaimed with another small chuckle.

"We are," Mark answered. "We're just men who have discovered what looking out for loved ones consists of."

"You guys are men with hearts," Lexie added, snuggling into Mark. It felt good to have his body so close to hers. She never wanted to let go.

"Why don't we wait for Izzie to get up and all head down together, see how our Meredith is doing?" Mark suggested. "It might be easier for all of us if we go together. Mutual strength."

Alex and Lexie nodded. They'd need each other's support.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Derek had spent the night at Meredith's side, his arm wrapped around her, as to protect her. He hadn't slept, but he didn't care. He hadn't cried again either. He had found his strength, and it wasn't going to leave him now. Or at least he hoped it wouldn't.

"Good morning Derek," Miranda said as she walked into the room. She looked tired, as if she hadn't slept either. And she had tear stains on her cheeks. It looked like Derek hadn't been the only strong one who wasn't strong in this case. He had even surprised a few tears on Cristina's face.

"Good morning Miranda."

"How is she?" she asked as she approached the bed.

"She's done a lot of crying, but I don't know whether to blame it on the hormones or on the… incident," he managed to choke out. "But I saw a faint smile on her lips early this morning when I made my speech on how I would always love her no matter what," he said, with a proud smile.

Miranda nodded. "You may be arrogant, but it's good to know you're not giving up on her."

Derek was hurt. "Miranda, I'd never give up on her. I said my vows, I'm here no matter what. And this isn't even her fault. How could I walk away from her in her darkest hour? She's the love of my life. She's everything. Some bastard isn't taking that away."

Miranda smiled. "It looks like I've changed my opinion on you. You're not as much of an ass as I thought you were."

"Thank you…?" Derek answered with a laugh.

"Be strong Derek."

"I will be," he answered as Miranda headed out of the room.

"Derek…" he heard the whisper come from the woman laying in his arms.

"Meredith… how are you?"

She just nuzzled her head into his chest and cried. Derek rubbed her back as she let out all of her emotions. He would be here for her. He would always be there.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Mark, Lexie, Izzie and Alex were almost to the doorway to their friend's room when Miranda came out.

"Bailey, how is she?" Mark asked as soon as the door was closed.

"She's asleep right now. Derek's in there. Apparently the shock is over and she's been doing a lot of crying. Right now might not be the best time."

Mark just nodded and decided to lead the clan to his office. When they reached the door and headed in, Alex was the first to speak up.

"We need to catch this guy, and as soon as possible."

The three others nodded, although Mark could tell in Izzie's eyes that she didn't want to even think about him.

"Izzie, I know it hurts, but we need your help," Mark said, not sounding like Mark. There was worry and concern in his voice, and it was soft and friendly. It wasn't the voice of a man whore at all anymore.

Izzie nodded. "I have his mom's number. Unless it has changed. We dated, before…." She trailed off.

Alex wrapped his arms around her and Mark just nodded.

"Okay, Lexie, I want you to do a lookup on Drake Hansen in the regions Izzie may be able to give you. Until then, go find Cristina. She'll want to help hunt this guy down.

Lexie nodded and she was out the door.

"I'll go home, find the number," Izzie said, finally pulling up some strength. "I can do this. For Meredith."

Mark nodded and gave her an apologetic smile. Alex followed her out and they promised to call when they found any info.

Just as everybody had left, there was a knock at Mark's door.

"Come in!"

Addison and Richard both came into the room.

"Lexie informed us that you had already started trying to hunt down the ass hole who hurt my little girl," Richard said, with a look on his face that Mark couldn't distinguish between hatred or pain. Maybe a mix of both. "We want to help."

"She's my friend," Addie then spoke up. "And when people mess with my friends, they see my bad side."

Mark nodded. "At least Meredith will know she's got a great group of friends and family. Holy crap, she's got more people looking out for her than…than…" Mark couldn't find the right comparison.

"Than she ever could have imagined having," Richard finished for him. "And her baby too."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After having left Meredith's hospital room early that morning, Jackson and Cristina had headed home. They had been very quiet, but it wasn't uncomfortable. At least not between them. They both just thought about how they could help the person who had been hurt too many times in her life.

They had gone straight to bed as soon as they entered the apartment. Cristina put on her brave face, but Jackson could read through it. They had cuddled into bed and fallen asleep within moments, having had a very exhausting evening.

Jackson awoke to the sound of whimpering. He jumped out of bed and left their room. There, he was faced with a scene that broke him.

Cristina was sitting on the couch in the living room, her head in her hands with a box of Kleenex, a glass of water and Tylenol sitting beside her. And there were tears. But she didn't cry. Cristina didn't cry. But her best friend had been hurt. Badly. And this made Cristina's soft side come out.

"Shh it's okay," Jackson said as he came up behind her and pulled her close.

Startled, Cristina rushed to wipe her eyes. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't be the one crying…"

"You're allowed to cry," Jackson assured her as he pulled her close. "She's your family, your sister and what she feels, you feel too."

Cristina just nodded and laid her head on Jackson's chest. And she let the tears flow.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After having cried herself dry, Derek insisted that Meredith had a little to eat, and lots of water. He didn't want her dehydrated. She had gone through enough as it was. He didn't want to add dehydration to the list.

Once Derek was content with her water and sugar levels, she had fallen back to sleep. He had decided that he should leave her alone for a little while and go do his job. He had a job that needed to be done. He would go grab his paperwork, and his portable little table, and bring it down to Meredith's room so he could be with her and do his job at the same time. That sounded reasonable.

When he reached his office, he was surprised to note that Lexie was waiting there.

"Derek, I wanted to come ask you how she was, but I didn't want to wake her, and I didn't want to page you, because I was afraid it would wake her since she's used to waking up to the sound of her pager so I decided I'd wait here since I'm off and I have nothing better to do than worry and I knew you'd be down eventually so –"

"I think you ramble more than Meredith, if it were possible," Derek answered with a smirk. "Come in," he invited her into his office.

They sat down on the couch and Lexie relaxed as she noticed that Derek was, well, as relaxed as he could be in a situation like this.

"She's okay, well she's getting there," Derek answered, the pain finally showing in his eyes. "I haven't seen you or Mark around," Derek than said, in surprise.

"We were down this morning, but Miranda told all of us that Mer was asleep, so we left." Derek nodded. "Besides, none of us feel strong enough to see her without bursting into tears, you know?"

Derek nodded again. "Yeah, I do." He paused then realized something. "You said all of us? As in, more than you and Mark."

"Izzie and Alex were with us. We decided that if we came as a group, that we would handle it better."

"So where is everyone?" Derek then asked, realizing he hadn't seen much of anybody since the night before. It was as if they were trying to avoid seeing Meredith, afraid of how they would react once they were faced with the reality of the situation.

"We're… we should have talked to you first, since you're her husband and all, and you legally have the right to make this decision, but we didn't want to bother you, so we decided we'd start it without you and you or Meredith, if she was strong enough, would make the decision once we had gotten as far as we could go without you-"

"Lexie, just spit it out," Derek instructed, but not in a mean way. He knew Lexie would understand what he meant. He had a feeling he knew what she was going to tell him, but he wanted to make sure his assumptions were right.

"We're hunting him down," Lexie finally said. "We're all up in Mark's office. Addie and Richard are there too. And Cristina's on her way, to work, but to help too. Izzie and Alex just got back too."

Derek nodded. "Thank you."

"No, it's our duty to help her. We're her family. That's what family is for."

Derek nodded. They were definitely a dysfunctional family, but when it mattered, they would do anything they needed to do to help one another out.


	31. Nightmare runaways

**Disclaimer: Don't own Grey's, but if I did, tonight would be Grey's night ... can't even survive two weeks without an episode ... don't know how I'll last the entire month of December ... this fanfic will have to keep me going (:**

**Thanks for all the reviews for the last few chapters ! Love hearing from all of you !**

Meredith was released from the hospital three days after the 'incident' with specific instructions from Addison. No work. She was allowed to do stuff, she wasn't on bed rest, but Addison wanted to avoid her being on her feet all day. That and the stress of the hospital.

It had only been a day that she was home and already, she was bored. She had slept most of the day before, and Derek had taken the day off to be with her. But he would need to go back to work before too long. She was home for at least a month, if not longer. A month! She couldn't handle being home for a few weeks, like after her liver transplant. But a month?

She had been sort of thankful for her few visits the day before. Mark and Lexie had stopped by. She had seen them briefly at the hospital, but they hadn't had very much of a chance to talk before they were swept away by car accident victims in the pit.

Alex and Izzie had also come to visit, but Meredith could tell that Izzie was having a hard time with it. She put two and two together and had clued in that Izzie had probably gone through the same thing as her. Or worse.

And today, the house was quiet. It was a little after ten and Meredith already didn't know what to do with herself. But she knew this was better than all the sympathetic stares her friends gave her. She couldn't handle them, all of their sorry eyes. She had enough pain to deal with, she didn't want to be reminded of it by all of her friends on top of that.

And Derek. He had been overprotective when he had found out she was pregnant. He had hovered a lot. But now, he hovered none stop. He called to find out how she was doing every hour. Yesterday, the only place he wouldn't follow her was to the bathroom. And even then, he waited outside the door for her. She knew he loved her, but this was getting to be too much.

The phone ringing brought her out of her thoughts and the first thought that ran through her head was that it was Derek, checking up on her again. But she answered anyway.

"Hello?"

"Meredith, hunny, how are you doing?"

It took Meredith a few seconds to clue in to who it was.

"I'm doing better," she answered to the women who had become like her mother. Adele was one of those people who just felt the need to take others under her wing.

"Richard…he…he told me… or tried to tell me … what…what happened," she stuttered.

Meredith felt her eyes well. "It's hard, to get over it," Meredith admitted. "But… the baby's okay… so that's… that's all that matters."

"You need to be okay too Meredith," Adele then said.

"I will be… eventually."

"Okay, well I hope things get better for you. You don't seem to get things easy at all, do you?"

"No," Meredith whimpered.

"I'll let you go. I'm sorry if I hurt you, or made it worse. I just needed to know that you were handling things."

"I am," Meredith nodded, as she felt the tears fall. "I think."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Catherine worried about Meredith. She wished she could do something for her, like Meredith had done when she needed someone for Stephanie. But nothing came to mind. Because Meredith just needed to be alone, to recover from what she had gone through. And nobody seemed to realize that she just needed to get away from all the staring and sad eyes. She had enough to deal with, she didn't need everyone's pity.

"How's Meredith?" she asked as Addie approached. She had been the last one to see her, as a doctor, before Meredith had left the hospital.

"I don't think she'll ever be the same," Addie admitted. "But she'll get pretty close. And knowing Meredith, it won't take her too much time. I'm just afraid of what she'll do to recover."

Catherine was confused. "What do you mean?"

"She's known for running away from her problems. She avoids them, until she can't anymore. She runs. Lately, she's been good for not running when things get tough, but I'm just worried that this has been too much."

Catherine nodded and suddenly it was quiet.

"Catherine, Addie," Mark said as he approached them. They were standing at the top of one of the stairways, somewhere where people rarely went. But apparently Mark could find anybody anywhere.

"Have you heard from Meredith lately?" Addie asked Mark as he leaned against the wall with them.

"Yeah, I was over there yesterday. She seems to be doing better."

Addie nodded. "Did she complain about any pain?"

"No…" Mark trailed off. "She wouldn't talk about anything that had to do with the last few days. It's as if she was avoiding it."

"Would she be in denial?" Catherine asked.

"It's quite possible, but not Meredith like," Addie admitted. "She's never been one to go into denial."

They all just stood there silently until their pagers went off. All three of there pagers.

"We should probably go see what this is about," Mark decided as they headed off.

They headed towards the nurse' station, where they had been instructed to go. There, they noticed that they weren't the only ones who had been paged. Most of the hospital was standing, facing the stairway. On the stairs, Derek stood tall, and Mark thought he saw a smile. _What is this all about?_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek had been sitting in his office, attempting to do some paperwork. Things had been heavy at the hospital. Even though a lot of people still didn't know about Meredith and what had happened, there was still that negative wave in the air. And Derek wanted it to go away.

He tried thinking of more positive things, like all the happy things that were going on in his life, things that had already happened, things that were going to happen. The wedding brought a smile to his lips and the thought of being married, actually married to the love of his life made things easier. Meredith. Meredith Shepherd. The thought of her being a Shepherd made things more positive.

He also thought about the house that was being built on his land. Their land. Their home. He couldn't help but imagine kids running through the yard, smiles on their faces, and him and Meredith sitting on the swinging chair on the deck, smiling. Imagining Meredith smile again was what he needed. He missed her smile. She had given him small little smiles in the last few days, but nothing like the beautiful smile that had made Derek fall even more in love with the love of his life. He needed that smile.

He also needed all of their friends to smile. None of them were smiling. They all looked dark and depressed. He couldn't have a bunch of doctors dark and depressed. He needed to lighten the mood.

Something on his desk caught his eye. His answer to lightning the mood in his hospital. He smiled at the sheet of paper, knowing what he needed to do.

He got Patricia to page all of the doctors who were at the hospital who weren't in surgery or at one of their patients' bedsides. Even the nurses and other staff were paged. The more spirits he could lift the better.

He then made his way to the nurse's station and noticed that a lot of people had already assembled. He climbed up a few stairs and he thought about how this was the exact same spot Richard had made the announcement about the merger. This time, it was better news.

When he noticed that most people who were coming had assembled he cleared his throat.

"I have an announcement to make."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Cristina and Jackson had been just getting to the hospital when they got the page. They weren't even in their scrubs yet. But they made their way to the nurse's station anyway.

There, they met up with Mark, Addison, Catherine and Richard. Miranda was soon with them.

"Anybody know what this is about?" Miranda asked as she approached them.

They all shrugged.

"But by the looks on Shepherd's face, it's good news," Mark said and they all took a look and nodded.

"We need good news."

"My fellow surgeons, doctors, nurses and members of staff. I am pleased to announce that we have found someone to replace Dr Owen Hunt in trauma. Dr Amy Corrigan will be starting here next Tuesday. I will have one of the residents show her around. I hope she fits in well with our staff and that each and everyone one of you get the chance to work with her. Now, go back to work," he added with a laugh.

He came down and joined his group of friends who were the only ones who hadn't scrambled away. He didn't scare them.

"You finally made the announcement," Mark said with a smile as he taped his back.

Cristina, Jackson and Addie were also smiling. Richard, Miranda and Catherine just looked confused.

"Who's Dr Amy Corrigan?" Miranda asked. Derek just smiled even wider and saw the light bulb come on in Richard's eyes.

"Oh," he said with a laugh. "The name Corrigan took me a second to figure out."

Miranda and Catherine still looked confused.

"Corrigan is her married name," Derek explained Richard's sudden understanding. "Her maiden name is Shepherd."

"Amy Shepherd," Catherine said. "Your sister."

Miranda just snorted. "Exactly what we need. Another Shepherd in here."

They all laughed. Derek smiled. It had worked. They were in a good humor again. They were smiling.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Lexie had the day off. And rather than spending her day off, alone on a rainy day, she decided she'd spend it with Izzie.

"Maybe we could see if Meredith wants some company?" Izzie had suggested.

"I already called. She said she wanted a day to herself."

Izzie nodded. She understood. She had been there before. So she knew what it was like to have people pitying you. It got tiring.

"Maybe…" a smile suddenly lit up her face. "Maybe we could talk about a certain wedding that needs to be planned.

Lexie rolled her eyes but laughed. "Fine," she answered in defeat.

Izzie clapped her hands. "When are you guys planning on having it?"

Her and Mark had talked about it. They didn't want to wait an entire year to get married.

"New Years Eve," she said with a smile. "It'll make it that much more special. We thought about Meredith and the baby, and how early it was, but she said it would be alright. She just decided that she wouldn't stay and party till all hours."

Izzie nodded. "A New Years Eve theme. That's a great idea, you know?"

Lexie nodded.

"We need a location, and caterers. Oh and you need your wedding party."

Lexie nodded. "The wedding party has been decided. Molly's my maid of honor, and Meredith and Amy are my other bride's maids." She then looked up at Izzie. "And you," she added and laughed at the expression on Izzie's face.

"Really?"

"Really." Her and Izzie had become really good friends since they became neighbors. And besides, Izzie was basically organizing the wedding. She couldn't not make her a part of it.

"Derek is the best man, obviously, and my niece Laura's our flower girl. We haven't decided on a ring bearer but it will probably be one of the Shepherd grandkids. Probably Ben."

Izzie was writing all of this down.

"This is so exciting! Two weddings in one year."

Lexie laughed. "Yeah, two weddings in one year with pretty much the same guest list."

Izzie laughed too. Then she stopped. "Does it make you feel guilty that we're here having a good time, laughing and smiling, while Meredith is at home hurting?"

Lexie shrugged. "I think it's what she wants. She doesn't want us all depressed, cause that makes it harder for her to be positive." She paused and looked at Izzie. "But I know what you mean, and yeah, it sort of does."

Izzie nodded. "I just wanted to make sure I wasn't the only one who felt guilty."

Lexie put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure there's more than just us who are having that thought."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Meredith woke up screaming. She jumped up in bed. She had had a nightmare. There were balls of sweat on her forehead and she was drenched from head to toe.

"It was just a nightmare," she whispered to herself.

But it had felt so real.

_She was in a hospital bed, in labor. Addison wasn't there. Neither was Derek. Instead, Rose was smirking evilly and Drake was the one delivering her baby. Or so he tried convincing her that was what he was doing. She cried and yelled and screamed for Derek, but he wouldn't come. _

_She didn't have the strength to push. She couldn't do it. So Drake just went right in and pulled the baby. Meredith screamed in pain and in discomfort. She hated the feeling of having his anything inside of her._

_And then the baby came out. And she stopped. Her baby. He was there. In front of her. _

_But something wasn't right._

"_I'm sorry to tell you this, but he's dead," Rose said, not sounding the least bit sad for the loss. Drake just carried him to the other side of the room and went out the door with him. And he was gone._

_She didn't have anybody. Not Derek, not her child. She was alone._

Meredith cried. She cried hard. She knew it was just a nightmare, but it hadn't felt like one. She could still picture the baby, with every detail. The little bit of black curls, the green eyes. He had her nose, but Derek's mouth.

It was scary. It was exactly how she had pictured him. She didn't know why, but every time she thought of the baby growing inside of her, she thought of a boy. A little Derek. And it hurt as she imagined him being carried away, with no heart beat.

She pulled the blankets off of her and sat up. She pulled her hands up to wipe away the sweat, and that's when she noticed her finger. Not only had it been bandaged and sewn back together, it was missing the two rings that she had been so used to having there. They weren't there anymore. They were downstairs somewhere.

She ran downstairs and searched. She looked everywhere she thought she would possibly be able to find them, but they were nowhere in sight. Neither one of them.

After half an hour of searching, she gave up. She flopped down on the couch and cried. She should have run out of tears by now, but it seemed like they just kept on coming. She needed to forget. She needed to get away from these awful memories. She needed to just get away. But she had promised she wouldn't run.

But this wasn't running. This was trying to fix what was broken. And Derek would understand. She knew he would.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I heard that Izzie's found something to occupy her time," Jackson said as him and Mark headed into surgery.

"Yeah?" Mark asked. "And what would that be?"

Jackson laughed. "You mean you don't know?" He continued laughing when Mark stopped him.

"Know what?"

"She's gone crazy planning your wedding. I feel bad for Lex."

Mark shook his head. "Oh, God. I don't even want to know what she's got planned."

Jackson shrugged. "Cristina was talking to her this morning. She wanted to know if anybody had checked up on Meredith. Izzie said that Lexie had called to see if she wanted some company and she turned it down, saying she needed to be alone for a little while."

"Don't blame her," Mark cut in.

"Anyway, Izzie started telling Cristina all about the ideas they had for the wedding. I heard something about it being a New Years Eve wedding?"

Mark smiled. "That was our idea. Lexie and me. We decided that. We don't want to wait too long, but we wanted to at least wait until McBaby was born. Besides, it gives the Shepherd's a chance to come here for Christmas too since Meredith won't be able to go to New York."

Jackson nodded. "And it's around the most cheery time of the year. Who wouldn't want to have it then?"

"Exactly," Mark agreed.

"Well, there's no way it'll be a boring wedding. With Izzie organizing it, and there being a new face in the family picture, it'll be amazing."

"That's what we're hoping for."

They scrubbed in and entered the OR. Jackson wasn't planning on specializing in plastics, since of course, like Cristina, he was a Cardio monster. The heart amazed him. And he just couldn't think of anything else he'd rather focus all of his attention on. But plastics was still fun. Less mortality rates, most of the time. And being able to create something new. So he liked taking advantage of that while he could.

After the surgery, Jackson and Mark decided to get lunch. It was weird how Mark had become such good friends with people he never thought he would. He felt so old next to them, but they were Lexie's friends, so he got used to hanging out with them. And then they became his friends. Of course, his best friends would always be Derek and Addie, but sometimes, it was nice to have other people to talk to. And he liked belonging to the Seattle Grace family.

"Hello Richard," he said, as him and Jackson took a seat with their colleague. "How are things?"

"Good," he answered with a smile. "They're getting good."

Jackson nodded. "I think Derek made the right decision in announcing Amy's arrival today. It seems to have made everyone happier." And Jackson was right. Although it was exciting to be getting Amy as a new doctor, it wasn't necessarily that specific announcement that made everyone lighten up. It was the fact that it was good news in contrast with bad. It just made them believe that good things did happen.

"Can I join?" they heard a very familiar voice ask. They turned around to see Addie pull up a seat.

"Looks like we can't say no now," Mark said as the two other men laughed and Addie hit him. "I was joking."

"Hey, have you guys heard?" Cristina said as she pulled up her own seat. "Apparently Derek is starting up a report on the first person he is going to fire. Anybody have a guess on who it is?"

"Mark," Addie said with a laugh. Mark hit her back.

"You're not allowed to hit a woman Mark," Richard said with a laugh.

"Yeah Mark," Addie said as she pretended she was hurt.

Cristina and Jackson laughed too. "Okay, I know we all wish it was Mark, but it's better."

"I'm going to take a wild guess and say, Rose?" Jackson said and the others laughed.

"It's time," Mark agreed with a nod. "That's one less thing Meredith has to deal with."

"And I mean, Derek's got enough dirt on her to fire her," Addie agreed. "He has all of our support."

"I heard that the next thing she does, he can fire her."

"It won't be long," Addie nodded.

"Then again," Richard started, "it's been a while that she's done anything."

They all got quiet.

"Maybe she realized she was about to get fired."

They suddenly all stopped talking and took a bite from their lunches.

"Any other good news?"Addie asked suddenly, trying to get that light chit chat back.

"Mark and Lexie's wedding is on New Year's Eve," Jackson said as he smiled to Mark.

"New Year's Eve?" Richard repeated. "This could be quite the wedding."

"Yeah and Izzie's gotten into organizing so it will be over the top," Cristina added. "Good luck Mark."

They all laughed. "She's got six months to plan it rather than two weeks."

Mark stopped laughing which made everyone else laugh harder. "Help," was all he said.

Jackson smiled to himself. Soon, everything would be back to normal again. Or he hoped it would.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek was thinking positive. Although he was a little worried about Meredith. He had called about an hour ago, but there had been no answer. _She's probably sleeping, _he thought. It wasn't going to bring him down. He worried about Meredith, but she seemed to be doing alright. Better than anybody had expected. Except, it worried him that she might be hiding it. She was good at hiding things.

He shook the negative thoughts from his mind and made his way down to the cafeteria. He had done more paperwork today than ever before. There had been no big incidents, very little unplanned surgeries. It was a slow day at the hospital. It gave people a chance to take a breather.

He was looking for someone to just sit and hang around with. Somebody he could talk to about anything, as long as it wasn't something negative.

Was he ever surprised when he walked into the cafeteria. He heard the laughter before he saw who it was coming from. But when the table came into view, a smile lit up his face.

Mark, Addie, Richard, Jackson and Cristina sat around the table, smiles on their faces. He walked over, grabbed a chair and joined them.

"Derek!" Addie exclaimed. "It's good to see you with a smile on your face."

"I'm being positive," he said.

"I think we all are. It helps," Richard added.

"It does," Derek agreed.

"I don't want to bring the mood down," Mark said suddenly, stopping the laughter, but still smiling slightly, "but Alex and I have done a lot of work, along with Lexie and Izzie, and we're glad to say we caught him."

Derek's eyes widened. "You…you… "

"He hurt Izzie too, remember? Her and Alex were allowed to decide his fate. He's locked up."

Everyone seemed relieved. That was one step closer. Things were getting better.

"What's all this racket about?" Miranda asked as she approached the table. She was carrying little Tucker, and he waved to everyone as they approached.

"We're celebrating," Richard said with a smile.

"Celebrating what?"

Everyone looked at Derek. So he answered. "He's been taken care of Miranda. He can't hurt anybody anymore."

Miranda smiled. "Good."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Catherine's shift had just ended and she was leaving when she ran into Miranda, who was also leaving, with Tuck.

"What a day," Miranda said as Catherine had gotten closer. "Did you hear? They caught him."

"They did?" Catherine exclaimed. "Does Meredith know?"

Miranda shook her head. "I don't think so. Mark just announced it."

Catherine nodded. "I think I may head over and see her. By the sounds of it, she's been alone all day and Stephanie keeps asking when she can go see Meredith again. And I feel like I owe her something. From when she watched Stephie for me when I was in the hospital. So I'm going to go pick up Stephanie and head over there. Stephanie is usually pretty good for cheering her up. It might help."

Miranda nodded. "I'm heading home to feed this little one right now, but I may come over a little later. I haven't gone to see her since she's left the hospital." She paused, but then continued. "When they were my interns, her, Cristina, Alex, Izzie and…" she didn't mention George. She couldn't. It hurt. "Anyway, I couldn't wait to get rid of them. I didn't want to see them again. And once they weren't my interns anymore, I missed them. They had grown on me. Like children." She laughed at the thought of her being the mother of the intern family. "I worry about them. Even when they were interns. Cristina, when she lost her baby, Izzie, when she had cancer, Meredith, well Meredith every other day, and I just can't stop worrying about them."

Catherine nodded with a smile. "They've become a piece of you."

Miranda nodded. "Yeah, they have."

They had both reached their vehicles by this point, so they said their goodbyes and headed in their own directions.

"Hey Stephanie," Catherine said after she had picked her daughter up at day camp. It wasn't often that she had the chance to actually pick her up. Most of the time, Stephie's best friend Jessica's mom would drop her off at the hospital. She had become good friends with Mandy, so she understood what Catherine was going through, and she was actually the one who had offered. But on days like today, where Catherine was off earlier, she enjoyed going to pick her daughter up. "What do you say we go see Meredith for a little while?"

Stephanie's eyes lit up at the mention of Meredith's name. She nodded in excitement.

When they reached the house, Catherine noticed that the house seemed empty. The car was in the driveway, but there wasn't one light on. And even though it was still early, it was getting dark out.

"I'm going to see if Meredith's here," she told Stephanie. "I'll be right back."

Stephanie nodded.

Catherine got out of the car and headed up the stairs to the front door. She didn't bother knocking because she knew that nobody ever knocked when they came here.

"Hello?" she called into the house. There was no answer. _She's probably asleep,_ she thought. But she still worried. Something could have happened.

She went up the stairs to the master bedroom. If Meredith was anywhere, she'd be there. But Catherine was surprised when she opened the door and the room was empty. She was about to turn around and head back downstairs when she noticed something laying on one of the pillows on the bed. She didn't want to be nosy, but she needed to make sure her friend was okay.

She picked up the note and red it only to realize what was going on.

_Derek,_

_I'm sorry to do this to you, but I have no choice. I need to get away from the memories. I need to be able to sleep at night without thinking about him. I need to get away from it all to be able to recover. I assure you that I'm fine, but I can't tell you where I am. If I do, I know you'll come get me. And this isn't me running. This is me trying to fix something that needs to be fixed before I can go on with my life._

_I'm truly sorry and I love you._

_Meredith_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I can't believe you're leaving us!" Natalie exclaimed as she packed another box into Amy's mini-van. Amy was flying out on Sunday with Daniel. Kayla and Alyssa would be coming down later that week with Julian and all of their belongings. They had wanted to do the drive with their father, so Amy couldn't argue with them. But she didn't think she'd be able to handle a four day road trip with Daniel. So the two of them would be flying.

"Come on Nat," Amy started. "Kath and Nance live in the same state, you and mom live on the same street. Derek hasn't had any family around for years. Now at least nobody will be alone. I'll be living in the same city as DerBear and will be working with him. He'll finally have some family around. I mean, other than Mark and Meredith."

"But it's his own fault that he's gone!" Natalie tried arguing. But it wasn't worth it. She knew that Amy wanted her big brother back. Someone needed to make sure it wasn't another four years before they saw him again.

"Amy's right Natalie," Carolyn finally spoke up as they all made their way back into the almost empty house. "Derek needs at least one of his sisters around to drive him crazy."

They all laughed.

"I'm going to miss you Amy," Natalie said as she let a few tears go.

"I'm no more than a phone call away," she reassured her big sister. "Besides, I've still got a few days with you guys. We're staying with mom since all our furniture is packed away. I'll be down the street."

Natalie smiled. "Good."

They each grabbed a few more boxes and put them in the back of the van before all three of them decided that they had done enough for one night. They all got into Natalie's van and decided to head back over to Carolyn's house so they could see how the men were doing with the kids before getting ready to head their own ways for the night.

They were pulling into the driveway when Carolyn's cell started to ring. The name that popped up on her screen surprised her.

"Meredith?"

"Carolyn," Meredith answered on the other line. She was crying, Carolyn could tell.

"What's wrong hunny?"

There was a moment of silence. Meredith didn't answer.

"Are you okay?"

"No," Meredith finally answered.

Carolyn didn't know what was going on. She didn't know what to do. But she wasn't expecting the next line to come out of her phone.

"I'm at the airport. Could you come get me?"

**... what just happened ? Hmmm ... this could get interesting ...**


	32. Missing

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's and don't think I'd truly want to. Surprises are sometimes nice (:**

"_I'm at the airport. Could you come get me?"_

Carolyn knew what Meredith meant. She didn't need to ask her to be specific. She knew that when Meredith said 'I'm at the airport,' she meant the airport in New York. She knew Meredith was in New York.

"Of course," she answered after a long moment of silence. "What happened?"

She heard whimpering on the other end of the line. Meredith was hurt. Badly. She just prayed it wasn't Derek that put her in this state.

"Can we not talk about that now?" she asked between sobs.

"Yes, I'm sorry," Carolyn answered. "Take all the time you need."

Meredith told her she'd be at exit 23 and Carolyn wrote everything down.

"I'll be there as fast as I can."

"Thank you," Meredith said, almost inaudible before hanging up.

Carolyn hung up and was immediately met with two worried gazes.

"Mom, what's going on?" Natalie asked first, knowing something was definitely wrong.

She looked at her two daughters.

"Meredith is hurt. She's been hurt and badly."

Amy and Natalie looked at each other, not sure how to react.

"How can we help her?" Amy then asked, having missed a good part of the phone conversation. They had only been able to hear Carolyn's side. "She's all the way in Seattle. What can we do from here?"

Carolyn shook her head. "Meredith isn't in Seattle. She's here. At the airport."

Natalie took that as her cue. She put the key back in the ignition and pulled out of the driveway. Whatever had happened, they would be there for their sister. No matter what, Meredith would be their sister, and they'd help however they could.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Catherine just stared at the note in her hand. _This can't be real, _she told herself. _I'm imagining this._

But she wasn't. She was holding the piece of paper in her hand that said that Meredith had run away. Or technically hadn't run away. But Meredith was gone. And she had no idea where.

She didn't know what to do. Or she did know what to do. She just couldn't pull up the strength to do it. She couldn't just call Derek and tell him his wife had disappeared. She couldn't handle being the one to deliver that kind of news. But she needed to tell someone. She knew she needed to tell Derek, but telling someone else would be easier.

"Mommy!" her daughter's voice caught her by surprise. She was downstairs. She had gotten out of the car. And was downstairs, expecting to see Meredith. But Meredith wasn't here.

"Coming," she called out, her voice coming out a little shaky. She shoved the note in her pocket and headed downstairs to meet her daughter's worried face.

"Where's Meredith mommy?" she asked. "And why are you crying?"

Catherine hadn't realized she had been crying, but she instinctively wiped her eyes and noticed that they were in fact wet.

"Mommy, why are you sad?" she asked again, wondering why her mom wasn't answering.

"Because," she answered, not too sure how to tell her daughter that her good friend had gone missing. "I'm sad because Meredith isn't home."

Stephanie nodded. "It's okay mommy," she comforted her. "We can come see her another time."

Catherine nodded. _If only she was older and could understand… _But she was six. Running away consisted of going to the backyard and hiding in a tree house. It wasn't quite the same.

She grabbed her daughter's hand tightly in her own, not wanting her to disappear too. They headed back out the door and Catherine had decided they were going to go back to the hospital to tell Derek what she had discovered when a car pulled into the driveway.

_Please let this be Meredith, _she thought to herself, knowing she was being a little too optimistic. But was she ever glad to see Miranda come out of the car.

"I decided I would visit," she announced as she got out. Tuck was sleeping in the back, so she left him there and approached her fellow coworker and friend. It was then that she noticed something was off.

"Stephanie sweetie, would you mind going to wait in the car?" Catherine asked her daughter so she could speak to Miranda alone. Stephanie nodded and ran off to the car.

"What's going on?" Miranda asked as soon as Stephanie was out of earshot. Catherine's eyes started to water again.

"It's Meredith," Catherine said. "She's gone."

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek was sitting in his office completely oblivious to what was going on outside of the hospital walls. Addie was sitting on the couch and Mark was in Derek's chair behind his desk. Derek was sitting on the other end of the couch, thinking about how this reminded him so much of the good old days.

"I can't believe we're back to being the friends we were fifteen years ago," Derek said as Mark stopped amusing himself with the spinning chair.

"It feels crazy," Addie admitted.

"Especially after everything that has happened with us," Mark added. He got 'the look' from both Derek and Addie. "Okay fine. Especially all the mistakes I have been a big part of."

Derek laughed. "At least he's honest," he said to Addie. "But I think it brought us all closer together. It didn't feel right, when we were still married."

Addie nodded. "This feels right."

Mark rolled his chair closer to the couch. "I still can't believe the three of us are in serious relationships all at the same time."

Derek laughed. "That's because this is the first time you're in a serious relationship Mark."

"Second," he said which earned him quite the look from both Derek and Addie. "It was the fifth grade and Gina Harold and I were the class couple." They all started laughing. "So everyone knows how Meredith and Derek are, and by the sounds of the wedding planning, things are going good with Lexie and me," Mark said the last line with a laugh, "but we don't know what's going on with Addison Montgomery and Sam Harrington."

Addie giggled, but smiled when she noticed both boys looked interested. "Things are going really good," she admitted. "Amazing in fact. He just moved in. We're talking about the future. This is definitely going somewhere," she finished off.

Both Derek and Mark were smiling. They were happy for her. She never had seemed to find someone after Derek that she was willing to live forever with. But Sam was forever. She knew it. And they knew it.

"Hey, what do you guys say about a good old game of 'would you rather' in honor of the good old days?" Mark asked, a childish smile on his face. Derek and Addie both grunted, but gave into Mark's enthusiasm.

_It felt good to have his best friends back,_ Derek thought. _It felt good to be back to where they used to be. Things were good with them. They were friends again. It felt good._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"What do you mean, she's gone?"

Miranda hadn't been there five minutes and already she had been informed that Meredith had disappeared. It didn't make sense. But by the look on Catherine's face, this was serious and Meredith was actually gone.

"We came to check up on her. I found this on her pillow," she answered as she pulled the piece of paper out of her pocket. Miranda read and when she finished, she was in disbelief. Meredith was actually gone. "What do we do?" Catherine asked.

"We need to tell Derek," Miranda answered after the initial shock was over. Meredith was smart. She'd figure things out. And she'd come back. She had a husband here that loved her, and a child on the way. She wouldn't be dumb enough to keep the child growing inside of her away from its father. She'd be back. She had to come back.

But what if she didn't?

Miranda shook the thought from her head. They'd figure it out eventually. She'd have to go for a checkup for the baby at some hospital, and because Addie was her doctor, it would link it directly to her file. Addie would watch for it. They'd find her. Eventually.

"Derek, yeah…Derek," Catherine said. "How?" she then asked.

"I don't know," Miranda admitted. "But the sooner the better. She might not be too far."

Catherine nodded and they jumped into their respectful vehicles and headed straight for the hospital.

_This is bad, _Miranda thought. _This is really bad._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Cristina and Jackson were on the catwalk talking about their day when they heard three familiar voices and laughter come to meet them.

"Jackson," Mark called out. "Would you rather lick mayo of an elephant's foot or only eat cat food for a year.

Addie and Derek laughed at the resident's expression to the question and his puzzlement at why he would want to know.

"Come on," Cristina insisted. "It's a game. They won't really make you do it."

Derek laughed. "Who knows. He might."

Jackson shook his head. "I'm one for getting it over and done with. Definitely the mayo on the elephants foot."

They all laughed.

"Anybody hear from Mer lately?" Cristina asked. Everyone shook their heads. "I feel guilty," she admitted. "Nobody has paid much attention to her today and we're all out here having a good time."

"She seemed like she wanted some alone time this morning, and she seems to be recovering well, so I think she's okay," Derek assured her. "But about the guilt thing, I know what you mean."

"Derek," they heard as Cristina was about to speak up. They looked over to see Miranda and Catherine, but not in the best shape. "We need to talk."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After having left their kids with one of the nurses, Catherine and Miranda had rushed up to look for Derek in his office. When they saw him on the catwalk, having a good time, they knew it wouldn't be long before he was back to being a mess.

"Derek, we need to talk," Miranda said. She had a panicked look on her face, and Catherine still had watery eyes.

"Do you want to go talk in my office?" he asked, panic starting to be heard in his voice.

"Yeah," Miranda said with a nod. She looked over to the others that were with them. They were all Meredith's closest friends. "You guys should come too."

They looked back and forth between each other before deciding it would be best to head to Derek's office right away. The seven of them walked down the catwalk towards the chief's office, five of them not sure what was going on, the two others trying to figure out how to break the news.

When they had all entered Derek's office and the door was closed, Derek spoke up.

"Miranda, what's going on that you need to inform all these members of the surgical staff but couldn't do it in the hallway?" he asked.

Miranda didn't answer. Derek caught on.

"This isn't about the hospital or one of its patient's, is it?" he asked, now worry written across his face.

Miranda shook her head slowly.

"Oh God, it's Meredith, isn't it?" Derek said, and Miranda could hear him cracking. The other four just stayed silent.

"Catherine went to go visit her, Stephanie wanted to see her. She wasn't home. But there was a note."

"What kind of note?" Cristina decided to speak up and ask.

"She ran away," Catherine said as she let a tear slip. Derek let out a cry and the others just stood in shock.

"What do you mean she ran away?" Mark asked, sounding downright scared.

Catherine passed him the note and he read it.

"Oh God," he said as he finished. "This can't be happening, this can't be happening…"

"Where could she have gone?" Addison asked.

"We don't know," Miranda answered.

"She can't be that far," Jackson tried to reassure everyone, including himself.

"It's Meredith were talking about," Cristina answered. "She could be in Norway for all we know."

"Has she ever mentioned somewhere she likes to hide out?" Mark asked.

"Not that I can think of," Cristina answered.

"Somebody is bound to know where she is," Addison tried to convince everyone, but it seemed like a lost cause.

"Would everyone just stop talking!" Derek demanded. He was in worse shape than any of them. But they had all sort of forgotten he was there. He hadn't said anything. "She's gone," he said out loud, not believing it. "And she's Meredith. She'll come back when she comes back. Nobody can make her come back."

Addie ran over to him and gave him a hug. "She'll be alright, she said it herself," she added as she passed him the note they all had read. He couldn't read it, not right now.

"I need to go get Stephanie, take her home," Catherine said, if only to get out of the deep hole she felt like she was in at that moment. Miranda followed her out. Cristina and Jackson left too, leaving the three friends alone again.

"She promised she wouldn't run. She said it in her vows. No running," Derek mumbled to himself.

"She's not running," Mark tried convincing him. "She just needs space to breathe for a little bit, to get rid of the memories. She needs this."

Derek shook his head. "I know, I know it's hard for her, to get over this, but Mark, picture it Lexie that ran away, not knowing where she was, if she's safe and warm. For all I know she's sleeping on a street corner in downtown Seattle. She can't do this to me, she can't," Derek said as the tears poured out.

Mark understood where he was coming from. He couldn't stand not knowing where she was either. This would break all of them again, until they had Meredith back amongst them, they wouldn't be able to work properly, to concentrate on what they were doing.

"Richard needs to take my place for a little while," Derek decided. He couldn't do his job properly while thinking about Meredith.

"I'll page him," Mark said.

"I can't, I can't go to the house… not with her gone…" Derek said as Addie wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"I know, I understand," she said. "You can stay between mine and Mark's apartments for as long as you need to," she reassured him. Addie was living in the same apartment complex as Mark's old apartment, the one he hadn't sold. It came in handy on nights where him or Lexie didn't feel like driving out to their house, and Mark thought it would also come in handy on the nights where Lexie kicked him out.

Derek nodded just as Richard burst through the doors.

"What's going on?" he asked, only then noticing Derek, broken again only hours after he had been all healed.

"Meredith's gone," Mark said, with difficulty. "She just disappeared and nobody knows where to find her."

Richard nodded, the news hurting him as well. But he knew that he needed to help Derek through this.

"Derek, you need to get out of this place," Richard demanded. "I'll take over for as long as you need."

"Thank you," he managed to spit out as Addie helped him up and out of his chair.

"We'll keep you posted," Mark said to Richard as he followed his two friends out of the office.

"I hope she's alright," Richard whispered, mostly to himself. But Mark heard him.

"We all do."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Lexie had gotten a text from Mark asking her to pack them both a bag and then head to the apartment. She didn't know why, but it wasn't often that Mark told her to do something without asking if it was okay with her. She knew this was important.

She said goodbye to Izzie, telling her she'd let her know what was going on as soon as she knew something. Izzie thanked her and wished her good luck with whatever it was. Unfortunately, luck wasn't enough.

After having packed both bags, she put them in the backseat of the car and headed straight to the apartment. But she didn't expect to be greeted by anyone other than her fiancé.

Addie and Derek were sitting on the couch. Derek was a mess. Addie wasn't nearly as bad, but she didn't look as ravishing as she usually did. And then the thought hit her.

"It's Meredith, isn't it?"

She caught both Addie and Derek by surprise. Neither one of them had heard her come in.

"Lexie," Addie said. "Mark told us you were coming. We just thought he'd be back before you got here."

Addie didn't want to have to tell Lexie that her sister had disappeared. It had already been too much. But her sister? That was the step after her husband. And look at where Derek was.

"Where is he?" Lexie asked, trying not to think about what could have possibly happened to Meredith.

"He went to get some of Derek's clothes," Addie explained. "He's going to be staying with us for a little while. Between here and my place."

Lexie just nodded and sat down on a chair. She stayed quiet. And she'd stay quiet until someone told her what was going on.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Mark had picked up some clothes for his best friend, and then realized he had left his cell at the hospital after having texted Lexie.

As he walked in, the first person he ran into was Callie, who had just gotten back from spending her fourth of July weekend with Arizona's family. She had no idea about everything that had happened.

"Hey," she said as she approached Mark. "What's up with the gloomy mood?"

Mark spun around and looked at her. The secret was bound to get out sooner or later, and Callie was trustworthy.

"Meredith is gone, disappeared and we're doing damage control on not only ourselves, but on Derek who not only had his wife disappear , but his first child with her."

"Okay, what?" Callie was lost. "Did you just say that Meredith ran away and is pregnant?"

Mark nodded. "But you can't tell anyone."

Callie nodded. "So why did she run away? Is it because of the shock of being pregnant?"

Mark shook his head. "She's almost four months along," he told her. "She's known since before the wedding."

Callie widened her eyes. "How did that not get around the hospital?"

"Because we kept our mouths shut, just like you will."

Callie nodded. "So why is she gone again?"

Mark took in a breath. "She was raped."

"What!" Callie exclaimed. "What? When? Why? How?"

"Five days ago, six days, whatever. We found her bruised and battered. But we caught the guy. And now she's who knows where."

"Oh my goodness," Callie said. "When will things be easy on her?"

"It looks like they'll never be."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Cristina had called over and over again, had left messages and had even tried texting Meredith, but with no luck. She was sitting in an on call room on an empty bed, desperately trying to find her person. She had already cried enough for a year in the past week. Losing her best friend would be a thousand times worse than anything she had gone through in their entire residency. Worse than when she was pregnant, or being left at the altar. Why? Because Meredith had been the one she had run to after the fact. She had always been her person to run to.

The on call room door opened and Cristina looked up only to meet Alex's worried gaze.

"Cristina, what's going on? Everyone seemed to be doing better, everyone was more positive. But now…"

"Meredith has disappeared. Ran away."

Alex was incredulous. "What? Ran away? How… how could she do something like that?"

"She needs to get away," Cristina answered, not only trying to convince Alex, but also herself. "When… this… when this happened to Izzie, she ran too."

"Yeah, but she ran to the people who she knew could help her. We're Meredith's people. If she ran, she'd run to us. But she didn't. So where could she be?"

Cristina shook her head. "I don't know. But knowing Meredith, it won't be long…" _Then again, _Cristina thought. "She'll come back. She can't not come back. Especially with the baby."

Alex nodded and sat next to Cristina. "I should tell Izzie," Alex said.

Cristina nodded. "I know this sounds weird coming out of my mouth, but it's days like today that I wish bambi was still here."

Alex nodded. "He'd know what to do."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After having dropped her son off at his father's, Miranda had gone back to the hospital. She knew that Derek had left the hospital and that Richard was taking over for a little while. But she also knew that Richard hadn't been told much about the situation. She decided she'd be the one to inform him, since he had a right to know.

She walked into the office after having been invited in, noticing that Richard had the phone stuck to his ear.

"No answer," he mumbled as Miranda came closer. "She's not answering her phone."

"She needs time," she said as Richard put the phone down. "She'll come to her senses."

"Derek is a mess," Richard said while shaking his head. "He was a mess before this happened. He needs to stop and breathe too."

Miranda nodded. "I think he should take a leave for a little while. Sort through things on his own, and then with Meredith when she comes back."

Richard agreed.

Miranda then decided she'd explain to Richard exactly what she knew about his little girl gone missing. Richard just listened, trying his hardest not to get emotional. _She better be back, and soon,_ he thought.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Addie had slipped over to her apartment, wanting to inform Sam that she would probably be spending most of the evening at Mark's.

"What's wrong?" he asked as soon as she walked in, knowing something wasn't good just by the expression on her face.

"Meredith has run away, Derek is a mess and everyone is devastated," she said as she attempted to control her tears. But things hadn't been easy and she felt Derek and Meredith's pain in her core, and she cried for them.

Sam pulled her closer and rubbed her back. "Things are going to be okay," he reassured her. She just nodded into his chest. "She'll be back and this will all be forgotten."

Addie pulled away and wiped her tears. "I should probably go see… if Derek is okay."

"Do you want me to come along?" he asked, but he knew they needed to be with each other, the hospital family needed each other at a time like this. But he thought he'd offer.

"No, it's okay," Addie answered. Sam pulled her in for one last hug and gave her a kiss on the top of her head.

"Just don't forget; I'm here if you need me."

Addie nodded as she headed out the door. "I know."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek and Lexie were silent. Derek to devastated to say anything, Lexie not knowing what to say to comfort her brother in law, especially since she didn't know why he was such a mess in the first place.

So they both stayed silent.

It had been a few minutes that Addie was gone. Lexie knew she just needed to get away from all this sadness. She was half tempted in escaping too.

"I'm… I'm just going out in the hall … to wait… to wait for Mark," she said, not too sure what else to say.

Derek just nodded lifelessly, and Lexie got up. But she didn't get the chance to make it to the door that it opened.

"Lexie," Mark said as she saw him. He then looked over her shoulder at Derek, and then back at his fiancé. "We'll talk in the hallway."

Lexie nodded and the two of them left the apartment to Derek and his emotions.

"Mark, what's going on? What happened to Meredith?" Lexie asked, panic filling her voice.

"She ran away Lex," Mark said, trying to stay strong, unsuccessfully. He cracked. "We don't know where she is."

Lexie just looked at him incredulously, then slid down the wall and felt tears stream down her face.

"She can't be gone," she whispered. Mark sat down beside her. "This is just a nightmare Lexie. Wake up."

Mark pulled her closer. "I wish it was…" Mark whispered in her ear. "I wish it was."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The terminal was packed. Finding a parking spot would be impossible. So Natalie decided they'd be better off just pulling up into the pickup zone and Carolyn and Amy could go find Meredith. Natalie wanted to be able to give Meredith a hug first thing she saw her, but it would be better this way.

She pulled up to exit 23 and noticed right away the lone figure standing beside the doorway. So did Carolyn and Amy.

"I'll wait here with Nat," Amy said as Carolyn nodded and jumped out of the backseat.

"Meredith!" she called out as she got closer. Meredith looked up to the woman and Carolyn immediately noticed how broken she looked.

"Carolyn…" she trailed off as Carolyn pulled her into a hug. "Thank you… I'm sorry… I just…"

"It's okay," Carolyn said as she pulled away and looked Meredith in the eye. "There's no need to be sorry. You're one of my daughters. And I'll always be there for my children."

Meredith just nodded as Carolyn grabbed one of her bags and led her to the car. They put the bags silently into the trunk and walked back to the backseat of the minivan. Meredith opened her door as Carolyn was about to go around to the other side. But she couldn't help but notice Meredith's ripped up finger. The finger that was supposed to have rings on it. _This can't be good, _she thought.

**I hope I haven't discouraged everyone to continue reading. Things will get better, I promise! But Meredith needs to recover, and this is how she decided she needed to do it. All will be restored in no time. You just need to keep reading to get there!**


	33. Similar stories and unconditional love

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's, but if I did, episodes wouldn't go on hold during Christmas time. January 6th! Let the countdown begin (:**

**Okay, so fist of all, I want to apologize for the long wait. Things have been crazy when it comes to school lately. It's like teachers all plan to burry you in homework at the exact same time. Also, I didn't really have the chance to answer all of your reviews, but I want to thank you all and make sure you know I truly appreciate them. I hope you enjoy this chapter! **

Waking up with the sun was one of the many things Meredith wasn't used to. First of all, there wasn't usually any sun in Seattle. Second of all, her shifts usually started before the sun rose. So waking up with the sun came as a shocker.

As her eyes adjusted to the bright room, she noticed the unfamiliar surroundings. Then the night before hit her.

She wasn't in Seattle, which explained the sun. She wasn't even on the west coast. She was in New York. Without Derek.

When she had imagined her first trip to New York, she had always imagined it being Derek's idea. Even after the wedding. She always pictured Derek at her side, showing her around his childhood home. Never had the thought crossed her mind that she would be here without him. Let alone without him knowing she was here. In his hometown. In his childhood home.

And by the looks of it, his bedroom.

She took in the green and blue walls, the pictures on the walls and all of the memorabilia Carolyn probably just never had the heart to pack away in boxes, to put in storage. The room seemed so much like Derek.

There were pictures of his sisters and his parents, his nieces and nephews were present in a few of the pictures scattered around the room, cousins of his, uncles and aunts, people she recognized from the family reunion, others that she didn't. There were also a lot of pictures from his childhood, of him and Mark. His graduation pictures were close to the largest in the room. High school and med school, side by side. There was also a picture of the three best friends, side by side, celebrating the end of their medical school years.

Meredith stopped as she saw a picture of her and Derek. It was taken before Carolyn's visit to Seattle the first time around, but after the house of candles. They had been happy, the smiles showing that in the picture. Meredith didn't remember specifically what had been going on that day, but she remembered it as a happy one.

Beside that picture was a picture frame set with a whole bunch of pictures from the wedding. Pictures from the beach, of just the two of them, with the family, with their friends. There were also a few nice ones from the reception and from the dance. She smiled at the memory.

And the last frame, apart from all of the wedding pictures, was a photograph that caught Meredith by surprise. Instantly she felt her hands reach over her stomach. There was a picture from one of their older ultrasounds. Carolyn must have added it to Derek's collection. She picked it up and felt the tear run down her cheek. She stood staring at her baby for what seemed like hours.

"It seemed appropriate to add it to the pictures, and it reminded me of the grandchild on the way."

Meredith jumped at the sound of the voice and wiped away her tears quickly before turning around to face the woman who was like a mother to her.

"Carolyn," Meredith said after recovering from the surprise.

"I didn't mean to scare you. I should have knocked or something..."

"No it's fine," Meredith shook her head. "It's your house anyway."

Carolyn nodded and stayed quiet for a few seconds before speaking again. "You've probably already figured it out, but this is Derek's old room," she said quietly. "I thought you might feel more comfortable here." Carolyn hoped she was right, and she noticed Meredith smile the slightest bit.

"It definitely helps," she answered. "Thank you."

Carolyn just answered with a smile. "How would you like to come downstairs for breakfast and we can talk?" Carolyn asked hesitantly.

Meredith just nodded slowly. "Yeah... okay... sure... thank you, again."

"It's what family is for."

They made their way down the stairs as Meredith took everything in. She noticed that Derek's room wasn't the only place with pictures. They were everywhere. Old pictures from when all of the Shepherd's were little, wedding pictures from all of the Shepherd weddings, pictures of all the grandkids, even pictures of the family pets.

"It's like my own personal museum," Carolyn said with a chuckle as she took in Meredith's interest for the pictures on the wall. "To remind myself of all the people whom I love."

"And who love you," Meredith answered.

They entered the kitchen and Meredith immediately noticed the wonderful smell.

"There are muffins in the oven," Carolyn said with a smile. "They should be out soon, and cooled off by the time everyone's here."

Meredith's expression changed from relaxed to panicked. "Everyone?"

"Natalie and Amy's families. They are all out for a few hours. Amy's staying here for a few days since she's all packed up. But Kayla and Alyssa slept over at Natalie's, that's why it was so quiet this morning and still is now."

Meredith nodded, then remembered she had no idea what had happened between being picked up by Carolyn, Natalie and Amy and when she woke up this morning.

"You fell asleep on the way home," Carolyn started to explain after she asked her question. "When we got here, you were so far into sleep that we didn't want to wake you. Cory carried you in."

Meredith nodded as she took a sip of the orange juice Carolyn had placed in front of her.

"Thank you, again, for letting me stay here," Meredith said quietly as Carolyn took a seat beside her, sipping her own juice.

"No need to thank me," Carolyn answered. "But…" she trailed off.

Meredith gave her the look saying she knew what she wanted to know. "Derek didn't do anything," she started off as to reassure his mother. "He's not the reason I'm here without warning."

Carolyn nodded. "I didn't think so… or well I hoped not…" She paused and looked at Meredith's hand. "But when I saw no sign of the rings on your finger…"

Meredith looked at her hand as if a reflex. She felt her eyes water as the memories flooded back.

"Oh Meredith hun," Carolyn said as she pulled Meredith closer. "You can talk to me if you'd like."

Meredith just nodded as Carolyn wiped away the tears that had slipped away.

"I had this bad feeling the other morning," she said. Carolyn looked at her with a confused expression. "The last time I had had a bad feeling like this one I ended up holding a bomb inside of someone while I watched my life flash before my eyes."

Carolyn had heard the story. She knew that this was going to be just as bad, if not worse.

"I spent the day at home, getting the play by play of the fire at the hospital from everyone." Carolyn had heard about the fire, so she knew that this had all happened about a week ago. "Late that afternoon, I had a knock at the door. Someone looking for Izzie," she said, the tears coming back. "When I told him she had moved, he had suddenly recognized me. And when I recognized him, I had the worst fear in my life. I knew what was about to happen… I used the married card, and even the pregnancy card, but he.. he didn't stop … he … he …" she burst into to tears and Carolyn immediately knew what she was talking about.

"Oh Meredith," she said as she took her hands. She figured she knew where the rings had gone missing now, and the bandaged finger. "He hurt you, didn't he?"

Meredith just nodded and Carolyn let a soft sound of pity escape her lips. She couldn't stand seeing Meredith, who had seemed so strong, yet so fragile the weekend of the wedding, break like this in her arms.

Meredith cried for a few minutes, but finally wiped away the tears and continued in a shaky voice. "Derek and Mark found me. Derek was crushed. Mark wasn't in any better state. They brought me to the hospital. Addie and Miranda checked up on everything. I was fine other than a few bruises and bumps. The baby is fine too, but the memory was too much.

"Everyone seemed to take pity on me, but nobody knew what to say to me. Even Derek had trouble talking to me. He treated me as if I would burst at any moment, a time bomb. An aneurysm. And I couldn't handle it. So I had been alone, yesterday actually, and after having a terrible dream, I realized that my rings were still missing. When I went down to look for them, and came up unsuccessfully, I broke. I knew I needed to get away from all of the memories. So I packed my bag and wrote Derek a note telling him I needed to escape for a little while, but I couldn't tell him where I was going, knowing he would come get me. I know, it sounds terrible, not telling my husband where I ran off too, but I'm hoping he understands that I just need some place to breathe for a little while."

Carolyn nodded and she noticed that her eyes were starting to water too.

"Meredith, I don't think it's terrible that you haven't told him where you are, but I think you at least need to give him a sign of life, tell him you're alright. I won't tell him you're here if he does call, but he deserves something to know that you're alright and alive."

Meredith nodded. "I was thinking about calling him, but I know that it would kill me to hear his broken voice over the phone."

Carolyn gestured to the kitchen table. "Email him at least. You won't have to see his reply. You just need to tell him you're okay." She was pointing to the laptop sitting there.

Meredith nodded. "Thank you."

Carolyn just smiled a pained smile and pulled her daughter in for a hug. "Anytime."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Grandma!" Laura's voice boomed through the hallway. Carolyn watched the little girl come running, followed by the two other little girls. Alyssa and Ashley were always a few steps behind her.

Meredith looked up from the computer, where she had just sent Derek an email, assuring him she was okay. She had also sent one to Mark, Lexie and Cristina, telling them to assure all the others that she was okay, and to make sure Derek read his. She had a feeling that Derek wouldn't be checking his emails very regularly in her absence. He probably wasn't doing much of anything.

"Hi," Carolyn said as they all ran and wrapped themselves around her legs. Alyssa was the first one to notice the extra person in the room. "Auntie Meredith!" she exclaimed as the three girls ran over to see their aunt.

Carolyn saw the smile build on Meredith lips. The children would probably be the easiest way to cheer Meredith up, and it took very little planning or thought to do so. So she let them crowd her.

"Hi there," she said with a giggle. "I missed you guys."

"We missed you too," Alyssa said as she climbed up on her lap and wrapped her little arms around Meredith's neck. She jumped down and let Laura and Ashley do the same.

"Meredith!" Natalie exclaimed as she came into the room with Daniel. Natalie was watching all of the younger kids while Amy brought Tessa and Kayla to their gymnastics class. It was going to be Kayla's last one and Amy wanted to make sure their teacher knew that. The boys had gone out with Cory and Julian.

"Natalie," Meredith said as she got up, Ashley still in her arms. She set Ashley down with her sister and cousin and they ran off to the playroom downstairs. Carolyn had taken Daniel from Natalie, which allowed her to take Meredith into a tight hug.

"What's going on?" she said, a worried expression on her face. Meredith glanced over to Carolyn, who nodded in understanding.

"Meredith, why don't you go see the little girls downstairs, catch up? I'm sure Daniel would love to join you." Meredith looked at Natalie who gave her a questioning look and then went to Carolyn where she grabbed Daniel from her arms and mouthed a thank you.

Carolyn smiled and Meredith headed down the stairs.

"Mom, what happened?" Natalie asked once Meredith had left. "Why won't Meredith talk to me?"

Just then, Amy and the two girls came in.

"Where's Meredith?" Amy asked, as soon as she came in.

"Downstairs with the kids," she looked over to where Tessa and Kayla had just gone down.

"How is she? What happened?" Amy asked worriedly.

Carolyn led them to the living room where they all sat down. "Natalie, it's not that she doesn't want to talk to you. It's because she can't handle telling the story again," Carolyn answered her daughter's earlier question.

"Oh God," Natalie said. "Did Derek do something?"

Carolyn shook her head. "No, Derek didn't do anything, in fact, he's probably in worse shape than Meredith right now, all things considered."

Carolyn decided she couldn't keep trying to stall from the emotional story any longer. She needed to tell them. And she knew Meredith wanted to tell them, but just couldn't. But Carolyn could.

"I'm going down to see her," Amy said as soon as Carolyn had finished.

Carolyn nodded. Natalie was speechless. "Just don't crowd her too much."

Amy nodded and headed down the stairs.

When Amy had left, Carolyn went and sat beside her second youngest daughter. Natalie still hadn't moved.

"I know it brings back painful memories," Carolyn said as she put a reassuring arm around her daughter. "But what John did to you isn't nearly as bad as what Meredith is going through."

Natalie nodded, and finally spoke. "I was able to get out of that situation. Meredith, on the other hand, couldn't fight it…" Natalie looked up at her mom. "What happens if the man who hurt Meredith doesn't give up … like John did? What if he hurts other people too?"

Carolyn just shook her head. "I don't know what'll happen."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Do you like my drawing Auntie Meredith?" Laura asked as she passed it to Meredith. It was a sheet from a coloring book, a butterfly and a flower, and Meredith couldn't help but think of doing this with her own children.

"It's beautiful," she said, as she watched the five girls draw pictures in front of her. Kayla and Tessa had just come down and had immediately joined the three others in their artistic moment, although they weren't using drawings from a coloring book. Daniel was asleep in her arms.

Suddenly she saw Amy come into view.

"Oh Meredith," she said as she came closer and wrapped her arms around her sister. "Mom told us, about…" she trailed off. "We're here for you Mer."

Meredith nodded and returned the hug as best she could with the little one sleeping in her arms.

"What's wrong mommy?" Alyssa asked.

"Oh grown up stuff sweetie."

The little girl just shrugged and went back to her drawing.

"All the kids have camp all afternoon," Amy said as she looked around. "Maybe we could leave Daniel with Julian when he gets back with the boys and you, Natalie, Mom and I can spend some time together."

Meredith nodded. "That sounds good."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Natalie didn't realize how much what had happened to Meredith would affect her. She had put it in the back of her mind, the man she once thought she loved, but Meredith's incident had brought it all back out.

_It was med school, and Natalie had a lot of really close friends. They weren't the popular kids, but they were pretty close. She knew how to balance school, work, family and friends. And mostly, she knew what was right and what was wrong._

_It was then that she met John Henley. _

_Her friends thought of him as a bad boy, and didn't want her to have anything to do with him, especially one of her best friends, someone Addie had introduced her too, Cory Jay. Only later would she find out that the reason he hated him so much was because he was jealous. _

_Her family disapproved of him. Derek and Mark said they'd beat the crap out of him if she was to bring him home with her. Kathleen, who was already married to Nicholas, swore that if she thought that she loved him, she would admit her as one of her psych patients. Nancy and Stanley, who were engaged, decided that they'd kidnap Natalie if she had decided that she was serious about this guy and take her to live with them until she came to her senses. Amy was just worried for her older sister._

_And then there was Carolyn, who knew it was a mistake, but wanted Natalie to figure that out on her own, hoping she'd realize it sooner or later. But she regretted not butting in sooner._

_Natalie didn't care what the others thought. She was sure this was love. So they went out secretly. _

_But when he started pushing her around and telling her things like she needed to wear more makeup, or wear less clothes, because she wasn't beautiful enough, Natalie started thinking about all of the warnings people had given her. But she stayed with him. _

_He started telling her how to act, because she wasn't acting the right way if she wanted to be with him, and he started not letting her hang out with other guys._

_Eventually, he wouldn't let her out of his sight. She couldn't go to school without knowing he was waiting for her. _

_At one point, Natalie knew she needed to get out. So after class one day, she went back to the apartment that she pretty much shared with him and packed her bags. She needed to get of this. She knew it._

_She had almost made it out, but just as she was packing her last bag, he came home. When he asked her why she had packed all her bags, she was afraid to tell him the truth. So he understood. He pushed her over on the floor and pressed his hands around her neck, threatening her that if she left, he would hunt her down and hurt her. Luckily, her self defense classes that she took as a kid came in handy, and without a second thought, was able to get out of the situation. She grabbed her last bag and made it to her car. She drove back to her moms house, and luckily she was the only one home. Her mother immediately noticed the marks on her neck and soon was to find the bruises on her back from the push._

_Cory had been the first of her friends to come check up on her when she didn't show up for classes the next day. Natalie's lab partner had been the first to notice she was missing and had immediately called her best friend._

_He had come over and he was the only person, other than her mother, that knew what had happened. Her brothers and sisters knew that she had left the guy, but they never knew to what extent he had hurt her._

_But Cory hadn't let that push him away from the one that he had fallen in love with. It was that day that he had admitted he loved her and they had been together ever since. _

Natalie wiped away the tears and rinsed her face before leaving the bathroom. She thanked her mom interiorly for having waited until Amy had disappeared to have brought it up. Because as soon as she had, the tears had come flooded. And she didn't want to bring up this awful story of the past when Meredith was hurting and needed them. Natalie was okay now. Meredith wasn't.

She made her way to the living room where she was met by her mom and Meredith. She silently walked over to Meredith and gave her a hug.

"We're here for you," she whispered.

Meredith thanked her and Natalie pulled away. Meredith immediately noticed the pain in her eyes. Natalie also noticed that Meredith had seen that she was hiding something.

"Where's Amy?" Natalie asked, noticing how quiet it was. _She must have the kids._

"She went to bring all the kids to camp, then to drop off Daniel with Julian. She'll be back soon." Carolyn answered

Natalie nodded then looked at Meredith. "Could we talk?" she asked. Meredith nodded and Natalie looked back to her mother. She knew where this was going. So she left the two girls to talk.

They sat down and Natalie took a deep breath. "When I was in med school…" She told Meredith the entire story. Meredith listened attentively and ended up shedding a few tears for her sister.

"I sort of went through the same thing, in college, except we weren't in a relationship. But I pushed him away… he just ended up coming back."

Natalie looked at her surprised. "The same guy that…?" she asked, not sure how to finish that line.

"Yeah," Meredith nodded.

"John was sent to prison after abusing two woman about a year after my incident. He's still there."

Meredith nodded. "Drake, the guy… Mark caught him. Him and Lexie and Alex and Izzie… and Addie and Miranda. They went and hunt him down last week and they caught him just before I left. I only found out this morning though." There had been a text message on her phone from Lexie and it was from her that she had learnt the good news.

"That's good," Natalie nodded. "Mark has always been good for standing up for the woman in his life. We all had that from him. Your his sister now too, and he'll always protect you like a big brother would."

Meredith smiled. "So I've noticed."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

By the time that Amy got back, the emotions had settled in the Shepherd house. The three woman were sitting around the island in the kitchen chatting away. They had all put the bad memories behind them and decided they'd just enjoy themselves for a little while.

"How long are you planning on staying?" Natalie asked.

Meredith hadn't thought about that.

"I don't know," Meredith answered honestly. "However long mom will let me stay," she answered as Carolyn smiled at being called mom.

"Then I guess she'll never be leaving," Carolyn said. "You're welcome here anytime you'd like."

"Thank you, again," Meredith said. "I've said it over a hundred times, but it never gets old."

Amy had walked in at that precise moment.

"Hey, are you guys ready for a girls day out?" she asked.

Meredith smiled. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"We're going to show you around town," Amy answered.

"Sounds good."

Carolyn was so glad to see a smile on Meredith's face.

"Let's go then," she exclaimed as the girls all grabbed their purses.

They spent the afternoon showing Meredith around New York. Meredith had loved it. She still felt guilty at times, thinking about how she had left Derek without any explanation. But she was sure that he'd be comforted when he found out from her email that she was okay. She just hoped that this wouldn't damage them too much.

"I feel guilty," she said as they sat down in a small café.

"Derek will be okay," Natalie reassured her.

"I just feel like I'm having a good time while he's probably miserable."

They all sort of nodded. Amy's expression suddenly went too worried.

"Meredith, I leave for Seattle in a few days," she said, panic in her voice. "How am I supposed to deal with the fact that they're all going to be sad and depressed that you've gone missing and I know where you are and that you're alright?"

None of them had thought about that.

"I guess I should probably tell somebody in Seattle," she decided. She went through her list. Cristina was bound to tell Derek, just because she was Cristina. Lexie would tell Mark, who would tell Derek, which cancelled both of them out. Miranda would tell Richard who would probably tell Derek, so the two of them were out too. Jackson would tell Cristina. And that ended up going back to Derek.

"Who?" Amy asked.

Meredith knew. "Tell Addie," she decided. The three others gave her a look of surprise.

"Out of all your friends in Seattle, you choose Addie?" Natalie asked.

"Any other way, it ends up getting to Derek. I trust my friends, they just all have big mouths. But Addie, she can keep secrets. Besides, she's my doctor so she should know that I'm alright and it makes it easier for Amy since you already know her very well."

They couldn't argue. But Meredith just worried that she made the wrong choice.

**Meredith has discovered her way to recover ... although it's not the best, it's what she needed. Don't give up hope yet! Everything will be better soon!**


	34. The shock of a life

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy or it's characters, but if I did, I would _not_ realease promo's three weeks in advance to make the fans quiver in impatience. DO NOT WATCH THE PROMO ! If you're hard core Grey's fan and can never wait to see what happens, the promo will stress you out and you won't be able to handle the wait. I don't know how I'm going to survive the next two weeks. DO NOT WATCH IT !**

**Anyway, thought this would make a nice little Christmas gift (: Hope everyone has or has had a wonderful Christmas and Happy Holidays ! Enjoy ! **

It had been two weeks. Meredith had been in New York two weeks. But she knew it was time to go. She knew she needed to get back to the realities of life, to work, to everything.

And to a probably very mad, very hurt, very broken Derek.

But the last two weeks in New York had done wonders on her. Her first few days with Natalie, Amy and Carolyn had been great. They didn't look at her with those sad eyes that everyone in Seattle was looking at her with. They looked at her the same way they had when they were in Seattle. She wasn't any different now. They looked at her like she was herself, which made her feel like herself again.

They had all gone to see Amy off, and she promised to call as soon as she got to Seattle. They had said their goodbyes and Meredith had told her she'd see her soon, not sure how soon soon was though.

It was first thing Tuesday morning that Carolyn had gotten a phone call from Amy, saying things went extremely well and that they made it there in one piece. She was excited to be in Seattle, but nervous to see Derek and to see how broken he was. Meredith still felt bad.

It was the next day that a second call came in at Carolyn's house from Seattle.

"Carolyn!" the voice on the other line exclaimed. "It's Addison."

Carolyn looked at Meredith and then said over the line. "We were expecting a call from you today. I take it you've been talking to Amy?"

"Yes, and was I ever glad to find out that Meredith was with you. Is she there right now?"

"Yeah, she's standing right here. I'll pass her the phone."

"Thanks," Addie said.

"Addie," Meredith said when she got the phone.

"Meredith! You've had us all so worried. Why did you leave? When are you coming back? How do you expect me to keep this from Derek?"

"I'm sorry I disappeared, I just needed to get away from all the pity stares. You were the only person in Seattle who treated me the same Addie. Everyone else looked at me like I was dying. Even Cristina."

Addie understood. "I know where you're coming from, but I still don't know how I'm going to keep my mouth shut."

"Talk to Amy, or call here. I'll talk to you."

Addie sighed. "You trust me, so I'm keeping my mouth shut. But Derek's living under the same roof as us right now, so I don't know how I'm going to do it."

Meredith was confused. "What do you mean?"

"He couldn't go back to the house. He's staying at Mark's apartment most of them time. At mine on the days where Mark isn't home. Him and Sam are becoming good friends, which is sort of scaring me. But I guess it's the same thing as us being friends."

Meredith giggled slightly at Addie's rambling. "It looks like I've rubbed off on you too."

"It's good to hear you laughing," Addie said.

"I swear, being here has done wonders to me."

"Come back soon though," Addie said.

"I'll probably be back in about a week," Meredith answered, calculating how many days she had already been here. It had been close to a week already. Two weeks sounded okay. Derek wouldn't have given up on her yet. "How's Derek?" she asked the dreaded question in a small voice.

"He's doing better than he was the day he found out you had gone missing," Addie answered. "He's gone back to work, doing small things and I even saw him smiling yesterday when he was eating lunch with us at the hospital."

Meredith smiled. "Good, it makes me feel a little bit less guilty. Do you know if he got my email?"

"Yeah, it was the day that he read it that things started getting better. Since he knew you were okay, he decided it was okay that you needed room to breathe. He knows you really well, so he knew you'd come back, and he loves you so much, so that was enough inspiration to push himself, since he knows that you love him too."

Meredith nodded. "As long as he's okay, it makes things easier," she said.

Addie agreed. "Come back Meredith," she said after a few moments of silence.

"I will, soon. I promise."

With that she hung up.

"Derek's okay," was the first thing Meredith said when she had hung up the phone.

"Good," Carolyn nodded.

Two weeks had gone by now since she had hoped on the plane and came out to New York. And she had to admit, it was good spending some time with both Natalie and Carolyn. She had gotten to do a lot of talking with Carolyn, and got to really get to know Natalie. But tomorrow she would be getting back on the plane and by tomorrow afternoon, Seattle time, she'd be back home. She smiled. Things would be easier now than the last time she was in Seattle. She hoped.

It was just the night before that she had brought up the courage to check her messages. There were a lot of them. And they were also now two weeks old. Some of them though, were more recent. She decided she'd start off with the easier ones to handle. Izzie's was full of worry, from both her and Alex. She didn't sound like her usual, upbeat, peppy self. Miranda's, although she wasn't expecting it, was full of pain. She sounded on the edge of tears. It put Meredith in tears.

Richard had also called, a few times, and his one message consisted only of a 'come home.' Meredith knew it was because he wouldn't be able to say much more without breaking down. There were also a few missed calls from people like Catherine and Adele, who hadn't left any messages.

Cristina's sounded like she had been crying. But Meredith didn't believe it. Until she listened to Jackson's who had confirmed that Cristina had in fact cried because she was worried about her. Lexie left two messages, both of them saying that she needed her to come home. Mark had also left a few messages saying how Derek was a mess and that he needed her back. And Addie's two messages were very similar.

All of those had been left within the first forty eight hours of her disappearing. Besides that, there were only three other messages. The first one had been Kathleen, who had called once she found out from Mark that she was missing. But since Meredith had just left her phone in her bag, she hadn't noticed the call. Kathleen, of course had called the house afterwards, having heard from Natalie that she was in New York staying at their mom's. And they had talked for a little while, the two of them, along with Nancy who had been at her house at the time.

The second one was from Derek. Meredith closed her eyes while she heard the sound of his voice come over the line.

_Meredith, where are you? I got your email, but that doesn't help with the fact that I can't sleep without you lying beside me. I understand, you wanting to get away from everything. I did the same thing, hid away from everything. But not knowing where you are is killing me. I miss you so much, and I hope you come back, and soon. And don't forget that no matter what, I love you with all my heart. You and our baby growing inside of you. Don't leave me. _

Meredith felt the tears prick her eyes. She decided to listen to the last message before heading downstairs to tell Carolyn that she needed to go back now.

_Meredith, it's Cristina. I know, I know, my message sounding like I was crying last time, but I wasn't. I was sick. _Meredith couldn't help but laugh at her friend's stubbornness. _Anyway, you need to come back. Everybody that hasn't heard from you thinks you're dead. That's the rumor flying through the halls. Nobody believes us when we tell them that we've heard from you. And Rose, Rose is taking full advantage of that. And she's prancing around the halls saying that it's only a matter of time before Derek realizes that you're not coming back, and then he will be all hers. Of course, we know it's not true, since McDreamy would probably die of depression if you didn't come back, but people are starting to believe her. And… and… she's pregnant. I know for a fact she is, because I saw her blood work. And today she's started going around telling people it's Derek's. We don't believe her, obviously, since he's never been alone since you've left, but others are and it's making Derek look bad. And you. So we need you back. And soon._

Meredith hung up her phone. Now she _knew _she had to go back, if only to stop Rose.

She had headed down right away, and found Carolyn seated at the kitchen table.

"Carolyn, I'm going back."

Carolyn looked up at her and smiled. "Let's book a ticket."

And now, she was leaving in a little over twelve hours.

"Thanks for everything," Meredith said as Carolyn helped her pack her bag.

"It's no problem Meredith. You're my daughter, and it's been great to have you around. But Derek needs you back."

Meredith nodded. She'd be back soon.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"We'll see you hopefully soon," Natalie said as she gave Meredith a hug. Meredith and Carolyn were just about ready to go to the airport. Natalie decided she'd come say her goodbyes at her moms. The kids all came too.

"We'll miss you Auntie Meredith," Laura said as she wrapped her arms around her legs.

"I'll miss you guys too," she answered. Even the boys had given her hugs.

"Well we're off," Carolyn said to Meredith as Natalie and her crew walked back to their house a few doors down.

"Yes, we are."

The drive to the airport was mostly quiet. When they got there, Meredith got her bags through checkout and had nothing left but her carry on.

"I still have a little while before I need to go to my terminal," she said as she checked the schedule.

Carolyn gave her a hug. "I'm going to miss you Meredith," she said.

Meredith was caught by surprise. "I'm going to miss you too mom."

Carolyn looked up at her. "Take care of Derek okay?"

Meredith nodded with a laugh. "I will."

"And my grandbabies."

Meredith stopped laughing. "Grand_babies_?"

Carolyn expression switched and she now looked like a little kid who had been caught going through the cookie jar.

"Um.. I…"

"What are you not telling me?" Meredith asked.

"I had this feeling. A motherly instinct. And when I talked to Sienna at the wedding, she told me that her father was your father's twin brother…"

Meredith was shocked. "You think I'm carrying twins?"

Carolyn smiled. "Mothers instinct?"

Meredith couldn't believe her ears. "There's no way. Addie would have caught it on the heart monitor. You'd hear two heart beats. And I'm already too flat for people to believe I'm four months pregnant with one baby, let alone two." She was starting to freak out. "But it's just a feeling right? You could be way off and you would have gotten me stressed out for nothing, right?"

Carolyn nodded. "It's always possible. But the last time I had this feeling was when Nancy told us she was pregnant the third time. And then Samuel and Steven were born."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Addie was proud of herself. She had been able to keep her mouth shut. She knew where Meredith was, and it had been a week that she had been keeping that from Derek. The only other person who knew was Amy. So that big of a secret for two people was a lot. But it was kept.

She was just about to leave the hospital when her cell started to ring. It was an unknown number.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Addie!" the other person exclaimed.

"Meredith! How are things?" she asked.

"Good," she answered.

"That's good to hear."

"I was wondering if you could do me a favor…" Meredith started to ask.

"Anything but keep another secret. This is killing me."

Meredith laughed. "Secrets aren't going to be necessary anymore. Are you busy?"

Addie was curious now. "No, my shift just ended. Why?"

"Because I'm deserted at the airport, my cell phone is dead and I just so happened to find your number in the pocket of my bag, since I can't remember any other number by heart other than Derek's, who I thought wouldn't be the right person to call right now because –"

She couldn't continue. Addie cut her off. "You're back?" she asked and exclaimed at the same time.

Meredith laughed. "I'm back."

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek had a weird feeling about today. It wasn't a good feeling. But it wasn't a bad one either. It was a weird feeling that he just couldn't place.

"Good morning chief," Amy said as Derek ran into her and Mark on the catwalk. "It sounds so weird calling you chief."

Derek laughed slightly, which warmed Mark's heart. Things were getting better. Derek knew that Meredith would be back when she was ready. He had accepted that she needed space. But if she wasn't back before the end of the month, he was filing a missing person report.

"It's good to see you smiling again Derek," Mark said as he taped his back.

Derek nodded. "She'll be back. I know it."

Amy smiled at her brother's optimism. But she needed to get away because she didn't want to get into a conversation about where Meredith could be when she knew the answer.

"I have a patient to check up on," she said as she waved and headed off.

"She acts weird every time we mention Meredith," Mark said.

"As if she knew something…" Derek added.

They looked at each other.

"We'll inquire later," Derek decided. "Right now I need to head downtown to meet the board about a possibility of getting more financial support from different organizations. And I need a partner in crime. You in?" he asked.

Mark nodded. "Sure, why not."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Meredith!" Addie exclaimed as she saw her waiting for her luggage.

"Addison!" Meredith said with a smile when she saw the red head get closer.

Addie noticed right away how much different Meredith looked since the last time she saw her. There was color in her cheeks, a smile on her face and her eyes twinkled again, not looking so sad.

"Meredith, am I ever glad your back. I officially hate secrets."

Meredith laughed. "I'm sorry I put that weight on you. I didn't know who else to trust with it."

Addie smiled. "For you, I'd do anything. By the way, it's good to see you smiling again."

Meredith gave her her best smile. "I think a lot of it has to do with Carolyn and Natalie. They have this way…" She couldn't explain it.

"All of the Shepherd's are like that," Addie added. "It's really a great feature."

Meredith grabbed her luggage as it came by and the two women headed towards the parking lot.

"Thanks again for coming to get me. I was starting to freak out, realizing my phone was dead with all my numbers and Derek wasn't the best option right now…"

"I think he's with the board anyway, so he wouldn't have gotten it," Addie added. "And it's absolutely no problem," she added. "Do you want me to bring you to your house?"

Meredith thought about it, and then remembered her last talk with Carolyn that morning.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something, as my doctor."

"Which includes a trip to the hospital I take it?" Addie asked.

"Possibly…" Meredith answered. She hesitated before asking her question. "Would it be… would it be possible… possible that I was carrying… twins?"

Addie stopped at the light and looked over to Meredith. "Why do you ask?"

Meredith let out a sigh. "I know it's coming out of nowhere, and if I was carrying twins, then you probably would have caught it by now, but Carolyn said something about a feeling, mothers instinct."

Addie smiled. "If Carolyn had a feeling, then we better get it checked out. It could be possible Meredith, but there's very little chance. Let's go find out."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Richard was leaving a patient's room, in one of the most deserted hallways of the hospital when he noticed a very suspicious looking Addie. She seemed to be sneaking out of a patient's room. And the blinds were closed which meant that there was a chance this could be trouble.

"What are you up to Addie?" Richard asked in an accusing voice once Addie had closed the door.

"Richard!" Addie exclaimed, surprise and worry obvious in her voice. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean Addie," he said, giving her the, 'I know you're doing something wrong' look.

"I'm going to get the portable ultrasound machine to check on my patient," she answered, as nonchalantly as possible.

Richard raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you just bring your patient upstairs to the maternity ward where the ultrasound machines are already set up?"

Addie knew Richard knew something was up. And he was Meredith's dad. Meredith wouldn't kill her if she told him, right?

"Because it's too hard to sneak her up there without catching too much attention."

Richard was now very curious. "VIP?" he asked.

"Very," she said with a smile.

"Can I meet her?" he then asked hoping for a yes.

Addie hesitated. "Only if you can keep your mouth shut about it, and I mean it."

Addie seemed very serious about this. Who could be this important?

"Promise," he said.

"Well I'm going to get the ultrasound machine," she said as she started to walk off. "You can head in and see…"

Richard couldn't wait to see what Addie was hiding from him.

He opened the door and immediately noticed it was empty. _Haha Addie, _he thought. Then he heard the sink go on in the bathroom and saw the door knob turn. Then someone walked out of the bathroom…

"Meredith," he gasped.

Meredith looked up in shock.

"Richard!" she smiled as she ran over to see him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and Richard returned the action. "How did you know I was here?"

Richard shook his head. "I didn't. I caught Addie leaving the room very suspiciously and I finally got it out of her that she had a VIP patient. She let me come in, but am I ever surprised to see you. Where were you? You had us so worried! When did you get back?"

Meredith laughed which brought a smile to Richard's face. "Woah, calm down. I'm going to explain, to everyone, later on. But I can answer your last question. Addie picked me up at the airport about half an hour ago."

"And she's already got you in for a checkup?"

"Actually, I'm the one who wanted it…" Meredith wasn't going to say why, but she would admit to that.

"Well it's a smart move."

Just then Addie came back in. "I told you she was VIP," she said with a laugh.

Richard smiled to Meredith. "It's good to have you back," he said as he kissed her head.

"Just don't tell the world yet," Meredith asked. "I don't want Derek to hear it from some random nurse."

"I won't," he promised. "I'll see you later," he said with a smile as he left.

"You ready?" Addie asked once Richard had left.

Meredith nodded, but she suddenly felt worried about what she would learn.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Jackson and Cristina were sitting on the couch at their apartment watching whatever was on. They both had the day off and decided they'd spend it doing absolutely nothing.

"I called Meredith the other day, left a message," Cristina said during one of the commercials. "Told her about what Rose was up to."

Jackson nodded. "Does Derek know yet?"

Cristina shook her head. "I don't think so."

"But it's for sure that she's pregnant?"

"Saw her blood test myself," Cristina answered. "But it doesn't matter cause soon she'll be out of the hospital. She has stepped over the line this time. I wish Meredith would show up just to give her a piece of her mind."

Jackson laughed. "It would be nice to have Meredith back anyway," he said with a sigh.

"I miss her," Cristina admitted.

"I do too," Jackson added.

Cristina looked Jackson in the eye. "If I disappeared without warning, would you miss me?" she asked.

"Cristina, you know the answer to that!" Jackson said as he pulled her closer. "It would kill me."

Cristina nodded. "Good."

Jackson laughed. "Are you planning on disappearing anytime soon? Should I be worried?"

Cristina laughed. "No, but it's nice to know that you'd miss me."

"I miss you all the time," Jackson said with a smile.

"That was corny," Cristina said with a grunt.

"You loved it."

"No, I didn't. But I love you anyway."

"I love you too," Jackson replied as he kissed her. _This was what he loved._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Addie was worried. It didn't make sense. But the faint sound of a heart beat broke through the speakers, and you had to be listening for it to find it.

"Damn, I wish I could be right as often as Carolyn," she said, forgetting she hadn't informed Meredith yet.

"What!" Meredith exclaimed. Addie looked towards her, a worried look on her face.

"Meredith, you are in fact carrying twins."

Meredith shook her head. "No no no… no way. This can't be right. Are you sure it's not just an echo?"

Addie shook her head. "That's what I thought it was last time I did your check up. Just an echo. But look," she pointed to the screen.

She motioned to the shape of both heads of the babies. "There are in fact two of them."

Meredith had tears in her eyes. "Twins," she mumbled.

Meredith looked up to Addie and instantly knew there was something else. "Addie, there's something wrong, isn't there?"

Addie looked at Meredith, then nodded slowly. Meredith fell back into her pillow.

"The heart beat is very faint. It's not as strong as it should be and that's because the blood isn't circulating properly to the baby's heart. That's why I didn't catch the heart beat before I was looking for it."

Meredith wrapped her arms around her stomach and cried.

"We need to operate," Addie then said.

"What?" Meredith asked, in disbelief. "When?"

Addie looked at the ultrasound. "The baby's heart beat is getting weaker and weaker. I say we operate as soon as possible."

Meredith nodded. "Do it now," she said. "Get it over and done with."

"Do you want to talk about it with Derek first?" Addie asked.

"What are the risks?" Meredith asked.

"As small as they can be for you," Addie said. "But they are higher for the baby."

Meredith nodded. "Addie, the sooner we get it done, the sooner I can move on and get on with everything. Let's not worry Derek right now. I've done enough of that."

Addie nodded. "Let's get the consent form."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Miranda made her way to the scrub room, where she had been paged. She found it suspicious that Addie wanted her to scrub in on a surgery, one that didn't seem to have much to do with General. But she went anyway.

She made it to OR 6, the OR that was almost never used. _Weird, _Miranda thought.

"What's going on?" she asked when she walked in and noticed the only other people there were Addie, Catherine and Ben.

"Four people, that should be enough," Addie mumbled to herself.

"Four people for a procedure?" Miranda said, incredulous. "Are you nuts!"

"The less people I have, the easier it will be." Addie said, sounding nervous. It didn't make sense. Addie was never nervous about surgeries. Especially this one.

"Addie, what's wrong?" Miranda asked.

"I stole the OR," she said.

Miranda gasped. "You have us for a procedure that isn't even being noted? What's Derek going to do when he finds out?"

Addie looked at her. "He won't find out. And if he does, he'll thank me."

Miranda didn't understand. "He'll thank you? For what! For stealing on OR?"

"I can't tell you unless you tell me you're in." She looked around to the other two too. "I need you guys too."

"I'm in," Catherine said.

Ben just looked at Miranda. "I'm in if she's in."

Miranda was unsure. But she knew it must be important. "I'm in."

Addie nodded. "Good," she mumbled.

"Now will you tell us what the hell is wrong with you? Stealing an OR? Have you gone nuts?"

Addie turned around. "This needs to stay a secret!" she yelled. "That's why I stole it. It can't go up on the board because it will cause problems. And because Derek can't find out." She was freaking out.

"I thought you said he'd thank you if he found out?" Miranda was lost.

"Meredith is on that table," Addie finally let out. The other three gasped. "Derek doesn't know and Meredith doesn't want him to know until everything is okay. I managed to get her up here without anyone noticing, so I'm not going to announce it to the world by writing it on the board. That's why I stole it."

"Meredith… Meredith is back?" Miranda managed to mumble.

Addie nodded. "Meredith's back and her baby is in trouble…"

"What?" Miranda asked.

"I didn't catch the heartbeat. We could have fixed this sooner. If only I hadn't pushed it to the side. An echo, a freaking echo. It wasn't an echo." She was mumbling to herself.

"Addie, the baby's heartbeat was fine when we checked her the last time…" Miranda said, confused.

"Twins, she's having twins."

Miranda's jaw dropped. Catherine and Ben just stayed silent like they had been since the beginning of all of this.

"Let's go," Addie finally said.

The others followed.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek and Mark had had a successful afternoon. And now they were planning on celebrating. But before they could do that, they needed to find people to celebrate with.

"Lexie!" they exclaimed as they saw her at the nurse's station. "We're going out to celebrate at Joe's. We got a bunch of money for the hospital. Wanna join?" Mark asked.

"Sure, just give me half an hour and I'll meet you there."

"Okay."

"We should call Addie, see if she wants to join," Derek suggested.

"I think she's in surgery," Lexie said. "I heard her talking to Catherine about it."

"But she was off four hours ago." Derek was confused.

"I could be wrong," Lexie shrugged as she stood beside Mark.

"I'll go check the board."

Nothing. There wasn't any sign of her name on the board. But something pulled Derek towards the OR floor, for a further investigation.

Most OR's were empty. Burke had a surgery in OR 2 and Callie was finishing up in OR 3. But the door to OR 6 was closed, which seemed odd because the door was never closed since it was never used.

Derek walked down to the end of the hallway. Mark and Lexie followed him. When he reached the door to the OR, he noticed that there was in fact a surgery going on. One that hadn't been written on the board. A stolen OR.

"What the hell Addison!" he said as he burst through the doors, mask on his face.

"Derek!" her neck shot up in surprise.

"Dr Montgomery, this is not like you. And Dr Bailey, this isn't like you either. Why the hell do you need to steal an OR?"

Addie just kept on operating, trying to avoid Derek's questions. Miranda looked up towards her, and understood what she was doing. She followed.

"Answer my question Dr Montgomery," he boomed. He was mad.

Still no answer.

"Put the scalpel down Addison and answer my question!" he yelled at her now.

"I can't!" she yelled back, on the edge of tears.

"Addison…" Derek said, realizing something was off with his best friend. She was crying. Something was definitely wrong. "Put down the scalpel and talk to me," he said in a much calmer voice.

"I can't Derek!" she yelled again. "I'm trying to save your daughter's life!"

**... Yeah, I ended it there. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter. A little more about the bab_ies._ See that coming? I think not.**


	35. Smiles and twinkling eyes

**Disclaimer: I may not own grey's, but that's okay because Shonda seems to be doing a good job this season anyway P:**

**Okay, so it's not very often that I'm going to do this, but I just read one of the most amazing fics of my life. I recommend to all _The Geek and the Rebel_ if you haven't already read it. The story is so well done and it's just ... no words to describe how much I enjoyed it. **

**Anyway, enjoy !**

"_I can't Derek!" she yelled again. "I'm trying to save your daughter's life!"_

Derek didn't understand. His daughter…

He took a closer look of the patient on the table.

"Meredith…" he whispered.

He ran up to the operating table and fell on his knees.

Addie looked up and noticed Mark and Lexie standing in the doorway, not understanding what was going on.

"Mark, get Derek out of my OR," she said in the calmest way she could.

"Addie, what's going on?" Mark asked.

" I.. I can't explain right now. Just take Derek."

He nodded and grabbed a mask and entered. He then noticed the patient too.

He shook his head. "Addie, what's wrong with Meredith?" His voice was filled with panic.

"Get Derek out of here!" she said, avoiding the question.

He just nodded, understanding that she needed space. She probably wasn't expecting Derek to burst into her OR. But Derek had a right to know that his wife was having complications that needed surgery. His wife that they thought was still missing just moments before.

"Meredith… Meredith is here… Meredith is back," he mumbled to himself. He couldn't believe it.

"Now Mark!"

He grabbed Derek by the arm and dragged him back to the entrance to the OR, where Lexie waited, completely lost.

"Derek, let's go up to my office, wait for Addie to finish."

Derek just nodded.

They all made their way to Mark's office quietly. Once Mark had shut the door, he slammed his fist on the back of it.

"Damn it!" he yelled. "Why couldn't things be simple?" he yelled to no one in specific.

"Mark, what the hell is going on?" Lexie asked, freaking out.

"That was Meredith, Meredith was on the table."

"What?" Lexie yelled. "What's going on?"

"We don't know" Derek mumbled. "But something's wrong with the baby… with my daughter."

Mark and Lexie both turned towards Derek.

"Your daughter…" Lexie whispered.

"She'll be fine," Mark assured him.

"Meredith's back and she didn't even tell me. She went to Addison."

"Derek, they're really good friends and she's her doctor," Mark tried convincing him. "She'll be alright," he tried again.

"I know."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Addison was recovering from the surprise they had gotten from Derek.

"That is not how I wanted him to find out," she said.

"He'll be okay," Catherine assured her. "They'll all be okay."

"I want Meredith to be able to tell him about the twins though. Maybe that will lighten him up a little, and he won't kill me."

"He can't kill you," Miranda said. "You're saving his daughter's life."

"Make that saved," Addie said. "We're done."

Miranda smiled weakly, and Addie returned it. They closed up, since they didn't have any interns to do it for them, and besides, Addie wanted to make sure everything was perfectly fine with Meredith and her babies. _Babies. _It sounded so weird, even in her head.

They managed, once again, to get Meredith through the hospital without too much attention. Once in the room, the anesthetics started wearing off.

"How did it go?" Meredith asked.

Addie looked at her with a serious expression and Meredith didn't know what to expect. Miranda and Catherine had already left the room, giving Meredith and Addie they're privacy.

"Surgery went very smoothly," she answered, but Meredith saw that something was off. "The baby will however have heart problems once she is born and will need to be taken to the hospital very regularly."

Meredith hadn't heard anything after _she. _"A girl?"

Addie couldn't help but let a small smile slip out from the corners of her mouth. "A little girl _and _a little boy."

Tears poured from Meredith's eyes. "This is… this is worth is Addie. All the crap. This moment is worth it."

Addie nodded. "It will be even more worth it once they are born."

"They…" Meredith mumbled, more tears tumbling.

Addie took back the serious expression. Meredith didn't know what to expect.

"We did run into a problem though, during the surgery, a completely non surgical relating problem."

Meredith was confused. "What kind of problem then?"

"Well, we stole the OR, so we didn't know what would happen if someone, by chance caught us. And someone did…"

"Oh no, who was it?"

Addie didn't say anything.

"It was Derek, wasn't it?" Meredith asked.

Addie nodded.

"This isn't good, this is not good at all… he's going to hate me and never talk to me again because I didn't tell him I was back and –"

"Meredith, you need to calm down," Addie said as she pulled out the strength. "He knows that you were the one on the table…"

Meredith shook her head in her hands.

"And he knows you're having a girl…"

"He knows?"

Addie nodded. "But he doesn't know why you and your daughter needed surgery, or that you are having twins."

Meredith nodded.

"Do you want me to go get him?"

Meredith nodded.

"Okay then," Addie headed towards the door. "Oh and one more thing."

Meredith was expecting the worse.

"I don't know how you do it Meredith Shepherd, but you're the strongest person I know."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Lexie had been sent to find out how Meredith was doing. Mark wanted to do it himself, but he felt the obligation to stay by Derek. So Lexie volunteered to do it.

"Lexie!" she heard a voice call out. She turned around and spotted the person she was in fact looking for.

"How is she?" she asked, without even a greeting.

"She's doing okay," she answered. "Where's Derek?"

"Mark's office."

Addie nodded and headed towards where she would find her best friends.

"Addie," Derek got up when she walked in. "How is she? Is she okay? Is the baby…?"

"She's awake and wants to see you. And yes, the baby's okay."

Derek nodded and looked at his other best friend.

"Go see her Derek," he said. Lexie had joined her fiancé beside his desk, and Derek just nodded, needing to see his wife.

"Let's go."

Addie led him down to the secluded room, where very little people passed. She needed her privacy, and this was the best place to keep her.

When they opened the door, Derek laid eyes on the woman he had missed so much in the last two weeks, asleep, probably from the exhaustion of everything.

"I'll leave you with her," Addie whispered, not wanting to wake her up. "If you need me…"

Derek nodded and thanked her as Addie left the room.

He couldn't move. This felt unreal. Meredith was back, and had just gotten out of surgery, a surgery he didn't even know about.

He knew he should be mad at Addie for not telling him, but he couldn't feel anything but grateful towards her. She had saved his daughter, and he couldn't be mad at her now.

His daughter. His and Meredith's little girl. The little Meredith that he had spent so many nights dreaming about. His little princess.

He walked over to the other side of the room and pulled a chair as close as possible to the bed. He noticed that Meredith's baby bump had grown. And it wasn't just from the swelling from the surgery. She looked pregnant.

"Hey." The sound of her voice caught him by surprise.

"Meredith," he whispered as he looked in her eyes. They weren't dead like the last time he had seen them. They were glowing again.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, with running away, then with the surgery, but – "

He didn't let her finish. He placed his finger over her lips, and when she stopped talking, he kissed her. He had missed kissing her.

"I missed you Meredith. I missed you more than I thought was possible. And I never knew how much I could love you until you weren't here."

Meredith pulled him back for a kiss. "I missed your kisses. And I missed your smile. I missed you too."

Derek smiled which made Meredith smile.

"God, it's good to see that smile again," he said.

She pulled him in for a hug, but it took to much effort to pull him down. So she patted the spot on the bed beside her.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"I need to feel you beside me again Derek."

He couldn't argue with her because he wanted to be able to wrap his arms around her and make sure she never disappeared again.

He wrapped his arms around her, but kept them loose, to make sure he didn't hurt her. She set her hands just over top of his, and pushed his down so they were resting on to top of her stomach.

They lay like that, relaxed in each other's arms, when Derek felt something in her stomach move.

"Meredith, I think I just felt a kick."

Meredith laughed. He sounded like a kid who was just informed Christmas was tomorrow.

"I guess the surgery brought the energy out of our son."

Derek turned her around so she was facing him. "Addie told me it was a girl."

"Derek, she was just in surgery, she wouldn't be strong enough to kick yet."

Derek shook his head. "What are you trying to say Meredith?" A small smile was building at the corner of his lips.

"I'm saying your mother is a genius. She's the one who told me I was carrying twins," Meredith said with a laugh.

"Oh my gosh, Meredith," Derek's eyes were glowing. "We're having twins!"

"We are," Meredith said with a giggle.

Derek kissed her, this time with the passion that he had been holding in for two weeks. When he pulled away, Meredith noticed the perplexed look on his face.

"My mother told you we were having twins? When were you talking to my mother?"

Meredith hesitated. This was a happy moment. How would he react when he found out where she had been for the last two weeks?

"I… I… I spent the last two weeks… weeks with her, in New York."

Derek's eyes widened. "You went to New York?"

Meredith nodded. She was sure he was going to be mad.

"What a relief," he finally let out.

Meredith was confused. "What? I mean, really?"

"Meredith, I was thinking the worst. A hick town motel somewhere in Washington, an old one night stand from college, I… I didn't know what to think… but to hear that you spent it with my mother, not only does it bring joy to me that you went to New York willingly, but that my mom watched out for you when we couldn't."

"Don't forget Natalie," Meredith said with a smile. "And Amy, until she left."

Derek suddenly had a flash of something in his eyes. "I knew she knew something!" he exclaimed.

Meredith smiled. "And she and Addie both did a great job at keeping it a secret. And I'm sorry, again. I just needed space, and no one seemed to understand that but Addie."

"It's okay Mer. You came back, that's all that matters." He pulled her closer, then pulled away. "Addie knew?" he then said.

"Well, since Amy has been here, yeah."

Derek just nodded. "Well I now know who to hide my secrets with."

Meredith laughed. "Yeah, your entire family was good at it. Mark called mom during the time I was there, to inform her I had gone missing. By the look on her face and the tone of her voice, she was so convincing that I believed her when she said she'd keep an eye open and it seemed like she was about to freak out, even though I was standing right beside her."

Derek nodded. "Just…"

Meredith nodded. "I know, don't do it again. And I won't… well I might run away with you…"

Derek smiled. "That sounds wonderful."

Meredith giggled. "Take a weekend away where we can sit around naked."

Derek nodded. "It's good to hear your laugh again."

Meredith kissed him quickly. "It's here for good."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Hello?" Carolyn answered her phone. She had been waiting for this phone call for hours. But seeing Derek's number flash up on her screen reassured her.

"Mom, I'm sorry I didn't call earlier it's just…"

"Derek, breathe. You and Meredith had a lot to talk about, so you needed to do that before calling. I understand."

"I'm sorry mom, but you're way off. We haven't really had the chance to talk yet. Meredith just got out of surgery."

Carolyn almost fell to the ground. "Surgery?"

"Mom, calm down, she's okay. I called to tell you that. And I needed to thank you."

"Thank me for what?"

"First of all, for being the one who watched out for her these past few weeks. I can't express how glad I was when I found out where she had been hiding," Derek started.

"She found me Derek," Carolyn said. "I just helped her through all of this."

"Precisely, you got her smiling again, and it's great to see her smiling again." Derek paused to take a breath. "But there's something I need to thank you even more for."

Carolyn was confused now.

"Meredith told me how you dropped a comment about twins as she was leaving…"

"I'm sorry if I freaked her out," Carolyn apologized. "I didn't mean to."

"Stop apologizing mom, because as soon as she got to Seattle, she got Addie to do a checkup. It's there that she found out our daughter needed surgery. If it hadn't been for your assumption that she was carrying twins, we would have lost our little girl. But thanks to you, both Meredith and our baby girl are fine."

Carolyn could just imagine the smile on Derek's face as he talked about his daughter. "So I guess the whole twins feeling was just something I was feeling so that Meredith would get checked out?"

Derek chuckled. "Nope."

Carolyn understood right away what was going on. "Twins Derek!"

"I know!" he exclaimed. "It feels so unreal!"

"Wait until your sisters find out!"

Derek chuckled. "I know, they'll all want twins of their own, except Nancy who already has them. But I want to tell them mom," he added.

"I won't tell a soul."

"Good. And thank you, again."

"No need for thank yous," Carolyn said. "I'm just doing my job as a mother. Get Meredith to call me when she feels up to it."

"I will."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

While Derek had gone out to call his mom, Meredith decided to make a phone call of her own. She needed to tell her person that she was back, and that she needed to talk to everyone about how sorry she was and why she had done it.

"Meredith! Where the hell are you? You've had us freaking out for weeks now! Come back!"

Meredith laughed at her friend's way of answering the phone. "Hello to you too."

"You're laughing," Cristina said in disbelief.

"I am."

"Meredith, I can't say I'm proud to admit it, but I miss you." Meredith heard a muffled voice in the background. "Oh and Jackson misses you too. When are you coming home?"

"I'm at the hospital Cristina."

And then the line went dead.

Meredith laughed.

"What's so funny?"

Meredith looked up as Derek walked back in and lay down beside her in her bed. She cuddled as close as she could without hurting herself and lay her head against his chest.

"I told Cristina I was back and she hung up."

Derek laughed. "So that means she'll be coming through those doors at any minute?"

"Any minute."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

When Meredith had told her she was back at the hospital, Cristina didn't think she was there as the patient. But when she ran into Addison in the lobby, and inquired on where she could find her person, Addie gave them a room number. And that could only mean one thing.

"It could be nothing Cristina," Jackson tried reassuring her. But Cristina was thinking the worst. Although Meredith had laughed on the phone. Either way, being a patient meant terrible things.

But when she burst through the doors to the room Addie had given her, and saw Derek and Meredith in their little love bubble, making out like teenagers, Cristina felt a breath come out.

"I told you," Jackson said.

The sound of voices brought Derek and Meredith out of their little world. Cristina saw the light shinning in both of their eyes. And a smile on both of their faces.

"Cristina!" Meredith said with a laugh. "I knew you were coming."

Cristina just stood there as Jackson went up and gave her sister a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Where have you been Meredith? And why are you in a hospital bed?" Cristina didn't know how to react.

Meredith looked up at her person. "I promise I'll tell you Cristina, but I need a favor."

Cristina nodded. "Anything."

Meredith looked at Derek, then back at her friend. "I'm being released in two days. I want everyone over for supper that night. Derek's cooking," she added with a smirk towards her husband.

"Why?"

"Because, clearly, I can't cook."

"Haha," Cristina faked a laugh. "I meant why have everyone over for supper?"

"Cause I need to talk to everyone, and it's easier doing it all at once than to do it ten thousand times."

Cristina nodded. "Who's everyone?"

Meredith gave Cristina names and Jackson decided to take on half of the task.

"Thank you," she said towards both of them.

"Now will you tell me what's going on?"

Meredith nodded. "I went to New York, to Derek's childhood home."

Cristina's eyes widened. "You went to McDreamy home turf, alone?"

Derek laughed. "That's how I reacted. Minus the McDreamy."

Meredith continued. "Carolyn took me in. And she treated me like nothing had happened, even though she knew the story. So I'm healed now."

Cristina shook her head. "That still doesn't explain why you're lying in a hospital bed."

Meredith looked at Derek. "That I'll tell you tomorrow. But I just got out of surgery."

Cristina scowled. She didn't bother asking anything about the surgery. She knew Meredith wouldn't tell her anything right now. So she just put on her usual Cristina air. Then she smiled. "It's good to have you back."

Meredith nodded. "It's good to be back."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Lexie and Mark had dropped in as Cristina and Jackson were leaving. Miranda came for a visit also. Catherine and Stephanie came in for a short hi, and had to leave, but Meredith knew that Catherine had wanted to say something by the look in her eye and the way she always fidgeted and glanced to Stephanie. But she didn't say anything.

Izzie had called, to tell her she had found out that she was home and that she would be over early on the day of the supper to help out. Meredith thanked her and told her she couldn't wait to see her. She had also called Carolyn to tell her that she was home safe and sound and to thank her for everything once again.

Things had started to calm down a little. Meredith had only been out of surgery for three and a half hours, only back in Seattle for less than twelve. It had been quite the exhausting day.

"Just checking up on you before you go to sleep," Addie said as she came into the room at around nine o'clock.

Meredith smiled. "Then I can spend the night alone with Derek."

Addie laughed. "First night back together and you're spending it in a hospital bed."

Meredith laughed too. "But it's the fact that we're back together and happy and healthy that counts. Where we sleep, I couldn't care less."

"But no sex," Addie warned.

Meredith rolled her eyes. "I am a doctor Addison. I know what limits and restrictions come with surgery. Besides, we need to use tonight to talk."

Addie nodded with a smile.

Just as she was about to head out, there was a knock at the door and then the door flew open.

"Meredith!" Amy exclaimed as she came over to her bedside and leaned over for a hug. "I just saw Derek in the hallway, and he told me you were back. It's good to see you again."

Meredith nodded. "You too. And I'm glad to hear you were able to keep the secret," she added with a wink.

"It wasn't easy," Addie said. "But we did it, we had each other."

Meredith smiled just as another person walked through the open doors.

"When I saw you earlier, I didn't realize it was because of surgery," Richard said before any else even had a chance to speak. "You should have told me."

"I didn't even know," Meredith admitted. "We only discovered it during the ultrasound."

Richard nodded. "In that case, I'm glad you got whatever was wrong checked out. I wouldn't want my grandbaby to get hurt." He paused. "By the way, what was wrong?"

Meredith looked at Addie, who, other than Derek, was the only one to know the entire story.

"You'll find out in a few days," she answered. "Derek and I need to talk first, and then we'll tell everyone."

Richard saw the smile on her face, so he knew everything was okay. And that's all that mattered to him at the moment.

"Okay, visiting hours end… now!" Addie exclaimed as she shooed Richard and Amy out. They said quick goodbyes and both promised they'd come by in the morning.

"You've got an awful lot of people watching out for you Meredith Shepherd."

Meredith nodded and smiled. "It makes things easier, knowing that someone will always be there when I need it. So much has changed since I started here."

Addie nodded.

"You know, it's going to get around pretty soon that something's up with you. The entire hospital already knows you disappeared, and I'm sure that our surgery didn't go completely unnoticed."

Meredith nodded. "Four months," she whispered. "We were able to keep it a secret for four months. We had hope on a few weeks. Four months was good. But it's time the hospital knew that their chief is about to receive his first child."

"And their very talented fellow resident," Addie added with a wink.

"Thank you Addie," Meredith said as she reached out her arms and pulled Addie in for a hug.

"No need for thank you's. You mean a lot to me Meredith, you're one of the closest friends I've had since Derek and Mark so –"

Addie didn't get to finish. She was interrupted by the person in the doorway. "But there is no way you'll ever be able to compete with us."

Meredith jumped at the sudden voice, then wished she wasn't in a hospital bed so she could get up and hit Derek as hard as she could for once again sneaking up on her.

"Derek!" Addison exclaimed.

Derek laughed and came closer to the bed. "You guys don't realize how much it touches me to see you two so close. I couldn't have asked for more." He gave Addie a quick, friendly hug, and she left to give the couple some privacy.

"The blinds are already shut," Derek said as he walked towards the door and shut it. "The door has been closed. We now have a little bit of time to ourselves."

Meredith smiled as Derek crawled onto the bed and pulled her onto his lap.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" Derek asked, forgetting that she still hadn't had much time to let the scar from her surgery heal.

"Nope," she said with a smile as she cuddled into his arms.

They stayed quietly like this for a few minutes. Meredith couldn't be happier than she was in that moment. She was home, and people stopped looking at her with those sad eyes. Things were back to normal.

"So…" Derek started. "Are things okay, I mean, with… about… what happened…?"

Meredith nodded slowly. "I've accepted that I can't change what has already happened. And I don't have to worry about him coming back again, so I can sleep now."

"So you did hear that we caught him?"

Meredith nodded. "Lexie had texted me while I was on the plane. I saw it the next day."

Derek tightened his grip around her slightly, but without hurting her. Meredith suddenly felt what seemed like a rain drop land on her shoulder. She turned towards Derek only to realize where the 'raindrop' had come from.

"Derek…" she whispered as she wiped away the tears building in his eyes.

"I was so scared," he whispered. "You … you could have been hurt… you just left… I didn't… I didn't know what to think…I didn't know … if … if I would see you again."

Meredith suddenly remembered a night that seemed to have happened in another life.

_"You yelled at me for no reason, and then you walked away. And now you show up here."_

_"Of course I showed up. Why wouldn't I? You don't trust me?"_

_"I do."_

"_Okay so this is how it works. You fight sometimes, and somebody apologizes."_

"_Well how am I supposed to know that?"_

"_You've never done this before."_

"…_No, I've never done this before."_

"_Hmm, okay. Alright. Well this is… uh… From now on, you can expect that I'm gonna show up. Even if I yell. Even if you yell. I'm always gonna show up. Okay?"_

"_Okay."_

Meredith pulled Derek's face closer to hers and looked him straight in the eye. "I'll always come back Derek. Never forget that. I'd never be able to stay away from you for long. I'm always going to show up. Okay?"

Derek recognized the line he once had used on her and smiled through the tears. "Okay."

Meredith smiled back. "Good."

She grabbed his hands in hers. When Derek rubbed her fingers, she suddenly remembered that there was still something missing. Derek noticed it too.

"Derek… my rings… they're still missing… I looked for them … but I couldn't…" she trailed off as Derek pulled his hand out of his pocket and placed it under her face. When he opened them, Meredith let out a small gasp. "You found them…"

She took them from Derek and started sliding it onto the now healed finger where they belonged. But Derek didn't want her to finish on her own. He slid the first ring the rest of the way down her finger, and took the second one from her and did the same. He looked up into his wife's eyes and smiled. She smiled back.

"Where did you find them?" she asked.

"Mark found them, while you were still in the hospital, before you left. He gave them to me to return to you, but I guess I forgot, with everything that was going on."

Meredith now realized that the reason she couldn't find them the day she had spent so much time looking for them was because they had already been found.

"You're mother thought you had hurt me, and that was why I had run away, just because I hadn't been wearing the rings. But I made sure she knew she was wrong, and that you would never hurt me enough to make me run away."

Derek kissed her lightly as Meredith cuddled even closer, playing with the rings that were now back where they belonged.

"I noticed your baby bump is showing," Derek whispered in Meredith's ear, changing the subject.

"Derek Shepherd, are you trying to say I'm fat?"

Derek panicked. Of course that's not what he meant. But had he offended Meredith? He should have said that differently.

"I… no… that's not…"

Meredith laughed, which caused Derek to let out a breath of relief. "I was just kidding Derek. And it's about time. I wasn't sure myself if it was really happening, other than the major morning sickness and not having to buy tampons. I love not having my period."

Derek laughed. Of course, only Meredith would be pregnant and the thing she liked the most was not having to receive mother nature's monthly gift.

"If I don't start getting more of a belly soon, our babies won't have much room to grow in there."

Derek stopped laughing, but the light in his eyes just got brighter. "Babies. Twins. It feels so unreal."

Meredith nodded into his chest. "I know… do you think we can handle it Derek?"

Derek lifted her chin so she was now looking at him. "We can handle anything Meredith, as long as we're together."

Meredith smiled. "Good."

**Yeah ! Happy ending for this chapter ! I hope you guys all liked it, fluff and all P: I really enjoyed writting this chapter and the chapters to come. The last few chapters had been harder, but things are finally getting a little easier ... for now.**

**Enjoy !**


	36. A time for togetherness

**Disclaimer: I don't own Grey's and I'm glad I don't because I would never be able to come up with an episode like last night's (: MARK AND LEXIE ! Woohoo !**

**So, I apologize for the wait. With the end of vacation and back to school on Tuesday, everything sort of got a little hectic. This is sort of a space filler, but I hope you enjoy anyway !**

Meredith had had a lot of visitors the next day. But they were much better company than when she had been in the hospital the time before. They smiled when they talked to her, and didn't treat her like she was in a hospital bed. They treated her like she was herself. Their fellow resident.

Lunch had been fun, almost like old times. Alex, Cristina, Jackson and Lexie had all brought their lunches up to her room and sat in various chairs or tables. Cristina just settled herself on the edge of Meredith's bed.

"So Derek heard Rose's rumor today, finally," Cristina said.

"How did he react?" Meredith asked.

"He was furious," Jackson said with a smile.

"Does that mean I'll have to deal with his rage?" Meredith then asked, almost afraid.

The others just exchanged glances.

"What?" Meredith felt excluded.

They looked back at her and smiled. "Derek will be relieved by the time he comes to visit you next," Lexie started. But she was cut off.

"Because he just fired the witch!" Cristina finished with a boom.

"He did?" Meredith asked. The others nodded. "That's too bad…"

Cristina gave her an incredulous look. "What?"

"I wanted to give her a piece of my mind!" Meredith laughed at her friend's reaction.

They all laughed with her.

It was then that Addison made an entrance.

"What's all this laughing I hear from down the hallway?"

"We're celebrating," Jackson announced.

"Celebrating what?"

"You didn't hear?" Alex exclaimed.

"Hear what?"

"The horse has been kicked out of the barn!" Meredith exclaimed. Everybody just looked at her, Addie still not understanding.

"What the hell are you talking about Mer?"

Meredith shook her head. "Never mind."

"I still don't know what's going on," Addie reminded them.

"Oh yeah, Derek finally fired our nurse friend," Lexie explained more clearly than Meredith.

"Rose is gone?"

They all nodded.

"Finally!" Addie exclaimed.

"You've got that right," Alex said.

It went quiet, then Lexie let out a small laugh. "The horse has been kicked out of the barn. I get it now!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek was whistling. Whistling was good. He had finally washed his hands of a problem that had caused him and Meredith so much trouble in the past few months. Today was a good day.

Meredith was back to herself, laughing and having a good time with her friends. It was good to see everything back to normal again. He felt like a whole new Derek. And Richard noticed that right away.

"Good day I hear?" Richard said as he caught Derek on the catwalk watching over his hospital.

"Is it ever! You coming over for supper tomorrow night?"

"Of course! Adele will be coming too. I wouldn't miss finding out what happened to my little girl for all this time for anything."

Derek nodded to his old mentor, and somewhat now father-in-law. "I respect you Richard. More than I thought I did. But you're a new person now, not only for me, as the father of the woman I'm in love with, but you've changed as a person. You seem so much…"

"Happier?" he tried finishing Derek's statement. "I've found my true place in the world. I don't need to be chief of surgery to be me. I have a wife who loves me and children who treat me with respect and love. I finally discovered what I've wanted in life all along. A family."

Derek nodded and gave the older man a tap on the back. "I'm going to see Meredith. Would you like to join?"

Richard nodded. "I was meaning to go see her sometime today. Now sounds great."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Amy had the day off, but after talking to her husband and children, the family ended up at the hospital anyway. But not for the reasons Amy was usually at the hospital for.

"Uncle Derek!" Alyssa exclaimed as she saw her uncle when they got on the elevator.

"Alypie!" He lifted his little niece in the air and tickled her tummy with the hairs that he hadn't had a chance to shave yet. He hadn't seen his sister's family until now since he hadn't really had the spirit to play with the kids he usually loved to play with while Meredith was missing.

He set down his little niece and then brought Kayla in for a hug. "How are you liking Seattle so far?" he asked her.

She smiled. "Really good. My new neighbor is my age and she's really fun to play with. We were outside all day yesterday, even when it rained, and we played on her trampoline and then she came over and helped me decide what I was going to do with my room!"

Derek laughed. "That's good to know. What brought all of you guys to the hospital today?" He was pretty sure he knew the answer, but he decided he'd ask anyway.

"We here to see Auntie Meredith!" Alyssa exclaimed.

"Well I guess I'll just have to show you how to get there," he said as the elevator stopped and him and Richard got off the elevator, followed by Amy, Daniel in her arms, and the two little girls. Alyssa had grabbed Derek's hand, but it was soon gone once they had made it to Meredith's room.

"Auntie Meredith!" Alyssa exclaimed as she ran over to the bed.

"Alyssa! How'd you get here?" she asked in a playful voice. Only Lexie was still left in her room. The others had gone back to work.

"I came with my mommy and Uncle Derek silly!" she answered.

"I think your Auntie Lexie wants to see you too," Meredith said as Alyssa spun around with big eyes, looking for her other aunt.

"Auntie Lexie!" she exclaimed once she found her and she ran over and jumped onto her lap.

"Hey there Alyssa. It's good to see you again."

Kayla made her way into the room and Meredith invited her to sit on the edge of the bed. "Liking Seattle so far?" Kayla nodded and told Meredith the same story she told Derek just minutes before on the elevator, but this time with more details.

"Kids always seem to be able to bring the best out of people," Richard said as he watched the scene in front of him.

Amy nodded. "They can be a pain sometimes, but it's worth it."

Derek debated on whether he should tell them about the fact that it would be much sooner than they had expected that they'd have two little ones to take care of, but decided against it. They would find out tomorrow like everyone else.

"A party and I wasn't invited?" Mark's booming voice came up behind them. Derek jumped.

Meredith laughed. "Now you know how I feel when you sneak up on me!"

Derek smirked, knowing his wife was right. He turned around and smiled at his best friend. "Plenty of room."

Mark laughed as he took in the patient room and the little amount of space actually left. "I'm sure one more person won't change much."

"How 'bout three?" they then heard behind them. Meredith looked up from where Kayla and her were discussing all the different things she could do in Seattle when she recognized the voice.

"Sienna!"

Her cousin walked in, pushing her son in front of her.

"I heard that you had gone missing through Molly, and then that you were back and had gone through surgery yesterday from Addison. Cody and I decided that we'd come down and visit for a few days."

She hugged her cousin and Cody then did the same, with difficulty.

"There's plenty of room for you to stay with us," Derek said from where he was standing by the doorway.

Sienna turned around and smiled. "Thank you."

She got out of the way and joined the others who were shoved up against the wall.

"Whoah," Addison said as she came in. "I didn't expect to see this many people."

Meredith laughed. "Neither did I."

Addie noticed the non-Seattle member of the assembly. "Sienna, you did come!"

Sienna nodded. "James is gone to Toronto for a conference, so it was a great time to get away."

Addie nodded then looked around to everyone else. "So I've got good news," she then looked straight at Meredith. "You'll be released first thing in the morning. That'll give you plenty of time before your supper."

Everyone cheered and Meredith smiled. "Thanks Addie, for everything."

Addie smiled as she left the room.

"Party at the Shepherd house!" Mark exclaimed.

Everyone laughed.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Addison had gone through with her announcement that Meredith would be released first thing the next morning. Meredith was out of the hospital before eight o'clock, only after having had been repeated over and over all the things she should and shouldn't do.

"I want you to rest as much as you can," Addie started for the tenth time. "No heavy lifting, not too much up and down stairs, avoid driving, get lots of sleep, and absolutely no, and I mean no sex until further notice."Addison made sure she directed this one to Derek.

"I'll make sure she doesn't try to seduce me," he said as Meredith slapped his arm.

"Okay then, I'll see you guys tonight?"

Meredith nodded. "Of course. Invite Sam to come along if you'd like," she added.

Addie smiled. "I'll see if he's interested."

And with that, she left the couple.

"Ready to go home?"

Meredith nodded. _Home._ It had been so long.

The drive home was filled with discussions on what they needed for that night for supper. But when they got back to the house, they were surprised to note that somebody was already there.

"Hello?" Meredith called into the house when they came in the doorway.

"Meredith!" Izzie exclaimed as she ran up to her friend and gave her a great big hug. "It's so good to see you again! I missed you!"

Meredith laughed. "I missed you too Iz, but could you let go?"

Izzie immediately let go. "Of course, I'm sorry!"

Meredith continued to laugh. "It's okay, you were just squishing me."

Just then, the kitchen door opened again.

"Oh Meredith hun, it's good to see you back!"

"It's good to see you again too Adele."

The older woman brought her in for a hug, not quite as strong as Izzie's, which Meredith was quite thankful for.

"We decided to come over and help wherever we could for tonight, since we knew you would be in no shape for party planning."

"It's greatly appreciated," Meredith answered. The four of them headed into the kitchen and started working on plans for the big get together that evening.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

They hadn't let her do much most of the day, and Derek insisted she take a nap, so Meredith agreed, realizing she was in fact very tired.

It was close to three thirty when she awoke, and when she heard voices downstairs, she decided to get up and see who the newcomers were.

"There's our little miss sleepy head!" Mark exclaimed when she came into the living room. Sitting there with Mark were Derek, Richard, Addison, Sam, Sienna and Cristina. Cody was playing in a corner with Tuck. She looked at Tuck with a funny expression, considering he obviously didn't come alone, but Miranda wasn't among them.

"Miranda's in the kitchen with Adele, Izzie and Jackson," Richard answered her silent question.

"Jackson?" she asked.

Cristina laughed. "Yeah, I've discovered I'm dating a part time chef. His food is amazing."

"I'm going to go see if they need help," Derek said as he got up and came over to Meredith and kissed her forehead. "But the last time I attempted to help, they kicked me out."

Meredith laughed at her husband. "Kicked out of your own kitchen."

She went over and sat down in the seat Derek had just cleared, Mark sitting on the armrest.

"It looks like tonight will definitely be a party to remember."

Just then, they heard the door open and Amy, Lexie and Catherine came in, along with Kayla, Alyssa, Daniel and Stephanie.

"Looks like it's not going to stop getting bigger either."

Before supper had started, lots of other people had joined. Alex and Preston were the next to show up. Molly, Shawn and Laura were soon behind. Arizona and Callie had also come, and although he hadn't come with the rest of his family, Julian decided he'd show up.

"Woah, is there going to be enough food for all these people?" Mark asked once Izzie and Miranda had announced supper was ready.

"Oh there will be plenty, don't worry," Jackson answered. Everyone grabbed a plate and filled them, before heading outside to enjoy they're meal in the good weather.

"Can I have everyone's attention," Izzie called out above the crowd. "I just want to say how glad we are to have you back amongst us Meredith and that you are safe and sound."

Meredith smiled at her old roommate. "It's good to be back."

"Now," Mark started, "we all want to know where you've been for the last two weeks."

Meredith nodded. "I needed some time away from everything so I hoped on a plane, and went to New York." She looked over to Amy who smiled. "I stayed with Carolyn, and Natalie and Amy kept my mind off things until it just didn't hurt anymore."

"You knew?" Lexie said incredulously towards her sister in-law. She nodded.

"She wasn't the only one," Derek added as he glanced over to Addie.

"Amy and Addie knew," Meredith admitted. "And I apologize to everyone for all the trouble I caused. But I just needed to feel alive again."

"We understand Meredith, and I hope I speak for all of us when I say that we don't blame you," Miranda spoke up. "We didn't know what to say or what to do without hurting you, so we just didn't do or say anything."

Meredith nodded. "It's okay, and I'm glad everything is back to normal again."

Everyone cheered.

"Wait!" Cristina exclaimed. "That still doesn't explain the surgery."

Meredith looked at Derek. This was the moment of happiness they were about to share with all the people who were closest to them.

"I was told something that made me decide to get a checkup done," Meredith started, not specifying the reason for the checkup. "That's when I found out that our baby's heart wasn't getting the blood it was supposed to get. So Addie performed a surgery that allowed the blood to get to our daughter's heart."

Meredith noticed all the faces light up when she said _daughter._ "A girl?" Amy exclaimed.

"And a boy," Derek added.

"Twins?" almost everyone exclaimed at once.

"We're expecting twins," Derek confirmed with a smile. "A boy _and _a girl."

Mark was the first one to grab his brother. "Congrats man," he said as he gave him a brotherly hug and patted him on the back.

"Oh my goodness Meredith!" Lexie exclaimed. "This is so exciting!"

Meredith giggled at her sister's enthusiasm. "I know! I was a little worried at first, but it's an amazing feeling to know I'm carrying two lives in me."

Both of them were congratulated by all of their friends who were present. But the night started to calm down. Some had to get back to the hospital, others home to bring their kids to bed. Only Meredith, Derek, Addison, Sam, Mark and Lexie were left. Sienna had gone to bed with Cody, the trip taking it's toll on the both of them.

"Your announcement has brought so much more enthusiasm in our circle," Lexie said as she sat down on the couch beside Mark.

"It's a good thing. And we've decided we're ending the secret," Meredith added.

"Really?" Mark asked.

"It's about time," Meredith answered. "And people are starting to get suspicious."

Addison smiled. She then looked at Sam, and back at her friends. "We have our own little announcement to make, but I wanted to tell you guys first," she said, mostly to Derek and Mark.

"You guys are getting married?" Mark asked.

Addie and Sam laughed. "Soon, probably, but we're not doing the big wedding. A few friends, city hall…" Sam explained. "Casual."

Addie nodded. "It was a mutual decision," she cleared up, because by the look on Derek's face, he didn't believe it.

"So that's not the announcement though?" Meredith inquired.

Addie shook her head. "We're adopting a little boy," she then said with a smile.

"Congratulations Addie, Sam!" Derek exclaimed. "That's great news!"

Mark did the same and they hugged both of the new soon to be parents.

"Do you already know where you're getting him?"

Addie nodded. "His mother is due in two months, and she lives here in Seattle."

Meredith thought about Elisabeth, and how she was due around that time. Addie noticed her expression.

"Meredith?" she asked.

"Huh?" she was knocked out of her trance.

"Are you okay?"

Everyone was now looking at her.

"Yeah, of course… I was just thinking about a girl I know, she's due around that time, and I think she might be putting her baby up for adoption…"

"Elisabeth, right?"

Meredith nodded.

"She's keeping her baby," Addison informed her. Meredith nodded.

"More the reason for you and Izzie to get the plans for your mother's home up and on the go," Derek exclaimed.

"Derek, we have to be moved out of here before we can really start thinking about that."

Derek nodded. "You can start looking into financial stuff and support groups. You'll be off work for a little while, so it could keep you busy. Besides, the house is coming along great. And if you really get into this project and you want to have it done before the house is done, we could always rent temporarily until they've done building."

Meredith smiled. "That sounds like a plan."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

A week had gone by since Meredith was home. And like Derek had suggested, she focused her time off mainly on the mother's home. Izzie had been over almost every day, and they had spent a lot of time discussing, planning and even making phone calls for getting all the help they could get. And things were looking promising.

"What should we call it?" Meredith asked. "All the companies suggest we find a project name, a name that will be used for the facility so that it makes it easier for applying for funding."

Izzie shrugged. "Last time I named a building was the clinic. And that was because I used Denny's money, so it was only natural to name it Denny Duquette memorial clinic. Maybe you could use something out of the past to name this place."

Meredith thought about it. "It was my mother's house," she said out loud. "But we're trying to inspire troubled mother's that they can be good mom's, and my mother is definitely not a good example. So that scratches that out."

"What about something that has happened since it's been your place?"

Meredith laughed. "The first night I spent here was with Derek. I'm definitely not going to call it 'The One Night Stand Home for Young and Single Mothers.'"

Izzie laughed. "Definitely not a good idea."

"I got it!" Meredith suddenly exclaimed. "You, George and I were the first people to really live here, this was our home." Izzie nodded. "Why not the O'Malley Residence for Young and Single Mothers?"

Izzie smiled sadly. "That's a great idea."

Meredith heard the pain in her voice. "You still really miss him, don't you?"

Izzie nodded. "He was like my version of Cristina. Except nicer," she said as Meredith let out a small giggle.

"I miss him too Iz, but it's been over a year. It's time we celebrate his life, rather than dwell on his death."

Izzie nodded. "O'Malley Home it is!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek had had a long day. And a very terrible, sad one at that. Dr Nelson, or better known as 'Shadow Shepherd' hadn't come into work that morning. Derek thought maybe he was sick and just hadn't had time to call in yet, but when the time for his craniotomy came and went, and he still hadn't shown up, Derek started to get suspicious.

He performed his craniotomy, not wanting to let the fourteen year old patient and his family down, and he came out completely successful. But when he made his way down to the ER, everybody had a sad look on their face.

"Richard, what's going on?" he asked.

"Dr Nelson was in a car accident this morning. He suffered from a major blow to the skull. By the time the ambulance got here, it was too late…"

Derek was speechless. He hadn't been the greatest friends with the man who had taken up head of Neurosurgery when he became chief, but he knew him quite well.

"That's terrible," he said. "Has his family been contacted?"

"It almost seems as if he has none. Other than a cousin, his family has all passed away. He has no children, and was never married. No brothers or sisters. And his parents both died."

"Contact his cousin," Derek decided.

Richard nodded. "But if we can't find him?"

Derek thought about it. "We'll organize a funeral. It's the least we can do."

Richard nodded and headed off to find a nurse who would try and find their deceased coworker's family.

Derek just shook his head. _Ironic,_ he thought. _A neurosurgeon who dies of a brain injury. _He saved so many other people who had gone through similar incidents, but he couldn't save himself.

He decided to wait until after the funeral to go looking for another Neurosurgeon. Right now, he had a hospital to keep under control, and a fellow doctor to remember.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

The funeral had been the following Tuesday. A lot of hospital staff attended and a few friends of his from outside of the hospital. Derek said a few words, the little he could say about the man he barely knew, but did say a little.

After the ceremony, most people just went back to the hospital. Although the few unfamiliar faces stayed around longer, wanting to pay their respects to their friend before the burial.

"Dr Shepherd, Chief of Seattle Grace, I presume," a man came up to Derek.

Derek spun around and faced the man. "Yes, how can I help you?"

"I'm a old friend of Jim's," he started. "We met in medical school. And then we both did our interships together, and both ended up neurosurgeons." He paused. "I know you'll be looking for a new head of neurosurgery, and in honor of my old friend, I want to apply for the job."

Derek stood there, surprised. "Well, yes… I was going to wait a little while before I started looking, but I'll definitely look into your credentials… that is, if I knew who you were," he added with a small laugh.

"Oh right, my apologies. Dr Malcolm Lewis, Head of Neurosurgery at John Hopkins," he introduced himself.

"You're Dr Malcolm Lewis?" Derek exclaimed. "You're legendary! Are you sure you want to step down from such a high ranked hospital to come to ours?" he then asked, hesitant.

Malcolm nodded. "There's a lineup of young ambitious Neurosurgeons wanting my job at Hopkins. It's time I give them a turn."

Derek nodded. "Well if you come by tomorrow, we can look at a contract."

Malcolm nodded. "I'll be there."

He started walking off, but he turned around. "Oh, and Dr Shepherd?"

Derek turned around. "Yes?"

"If I'm legendary, you're a God. I'm a big fan of your work."

Derek smiled. "As am I of yours."

"I can't wait to work with you."

Derek smiled. "Same here."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Meredith had left with Richard after the funeral. Richard was off today, so she decided to spend a little time with him and Adele. She had spent so much time on the O'Malley Residence that it was giving her a headache.

"You and Stevens seem to be working hard," Richard said as they drove to his place.

Meredith nodded. "The home is coming along great. We've found so much funding, with Derek and Addison's help and I have a very good feeling it's going to be a success."

"Have you guys found a name for it yet?"

Meredith and Izzie had decided they were going to keep the name a surprise until the grand opening. "We have, but it's staying a secret for now."

Richard nodded. "How are my grandbabies doing?" he changed the subject.

Meredith laughed. "They're doing great," she told him. "It still sounds so weird, the thought of there being two of them still shocks me."

"It's a good thing you've got someone like Derek as their father, or else you'd be in over your head."

Meredith sighed. "I think I might be anyway."

They pulled into the driveway and once Richard turned off the engine, he turned to face his little girl.

"What's bothering you Meredith?"

Meredith looked up into Richard's eyes. "I'm worried about how him being chief will affect his time with us."

Richard saw the pain in Meredith's eyes. "Are you using me as an example?"

Meredith couldn't say no, but it wasn't quite that. "Sort of, but mostly, it's the image of my mother that comes to mind. Since I've been pregnant, surgery doesn't mean as much to me as it used to. And that's when I realized I won't be my mother because surgery was always her first priority. You didn't have any children, or that you knew of, so that wasn't calling you to come home. But my mother had me. And her being chief took even more time away from the very little time she already only spent on me. And I know Derek isn't my mother, oh how very far from that… but I still can't help but worry about what will happen if surgery doesn't end up coming second to his family."

Richard wrapped his arms around her. "He gives up surgeries to come home to you, you know."

"Really?" Meredith asked.

"Really," Richard confirmed. "His family already comes before surgery so you have nothing to worry about."

Meredith nodded. "Thanks Dad."

Richard smiled. "Any time."

**Read ~ Review ~ ENJOY !**


	37. Welcome back

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy, but after discovering there would be no Grey's tonight, I figured that you might need a little bit of Grey's anyway and so I decided it would be a good time to update !**

**Sorry it took me a little while... exams next week and it's taken over my time ! Anyway, I hope enjoy this chapter. It was a fun one to write, especially when it came to McCocky (You'll see...) and the next few will also be lighter chapters. I also want to apologize to any Private Practice fans... I didn't think about it when I put Addie and Sam together, and me not being someone who follows the spinoff, I only clued in on the coincidence when it was too late P: Anyway, enjoy !**

The days went by slowly after that. Weeks came and went. Finally, the end of the summer had come and the rain was more frequent, back to normal Seattle weather. Things were completely back to normal.

Meredith was going back to work today. She didn't know for how long, because it seemed that every time she ended up working, something happened and she was sent home again. This is where being married to the chief came in handy. Derek would always find something or other to help her catch up, and she was glad to know that she would in fact be able to catch up after spending several months off once the twins were born.

The hospital now knew. They knew their chief would soon be a father. But what they ignored was the fact that Meredith was carrying twins. They kept that detail away from the gossip mongrels. Needed to keep a little something to themselves.

As Derek had suggested, because of all the advancements Meredith and Izzie had made on the home, they did move out temporarily. And to where? One of the smaller cottages at the Inn. This made things easier on Meredith, because she could spend more time with Izzie on planning, and more time with her sister for bonding. Derek also loved this, not just because he had Mark so close by, but because there was no way Meredith was ever completely alone.

And now it was the end of August and Meredith was making her first appearance in the hospital since her surgery, other than her checkups, which Addie had done at the clinic.

"_Why don't you want to do these in the maternity ward again?"_

_Meredith sighed. "I don't want to go into the hospital if I can avoid it. Surgery is calling me, and I know that if I see or hear anything surgery related, I'll want to scrub in, and that's not an option."_

So that day, Addison had promised to let her scrub in on whatever surgery she had on the day she went back to work. And that day was today.

"You ready?" Derek asked as they pulled into the parking lot.

Meredith nodded. "I think so."

Derek let out a chuckle and kissed her on the forehead. "You're ready, I know it."

Meredith smiled at him. "I know."

They got out of the car, and walked hand in hand towards the main doors.

Meredith was overwhelmed as soon as she made it through those sliding doors. People she barely knew were coming over and congratulating her. Her baby bump still wasn't that big, and would definitely camouflage under her scrubs, but in her street clothes it was noticeable, and even if the secret hadn't of been out before today, it definitely would have ended.

"Meredith!" she heard her best friend's voice over all the voices that were still congratulating her.

"Cristina, am I ever glad to see you," she said as the two of them, along with Derek, jumped on an empty elevator.

"Welcome back," she said with a smirk. "You didn't miss much, except there's a new guy and he's pretty good, but brains aren't my thing, they're yours."

"Derek told me," Meredith said with a laugh. "But today I'm scrubbing in with Addie."

"Are you sure you're up for surgery?" Derek asked hesitantly.

"Derek, I'm scrubbing in with _Addie. _My doctor. If she thinks I'm not up for it, she won't let me in the OR. You have nothing to worry about." Meredith finished with a quick peck on his lips, smiling at her husband.

"Anyway," Cristina ignored the loving look Derek and Meredith were sharing, "I was wondering if you wanted to come over for a little while tonight," Cristina said to her person. "Jackson's on-call and from what I hear, McDreamy will be here late tonight, so I was thinking we could rant about what sucks in our life right now."

Meredith laughed as she looked at her person. "My life is just about perfect right now, so I'll listen to you rant."

Cristina shook her head. "You say that now, but after one day back in this hospital, you'll surely have something."

They all got off the elevator. Meredith was about to follow her friend to the locker room, but Derek held her back. "If you need anything, you know where I am. And come visit me sometime today so I know you're alive."

Meredith laughed. "Sure. Love you," she added quickly as she ran off. Derek just laughed.

As soon as she had changed into her scrubs, Meredith made her way to the nurse's station where she instantly ran into Addison.

"First day back," she said with a smile. "How do you feel Dr Shepherd?"

Meredith smiled. "Great," she admitted.

"Are you up for that surgery I promised you?"

Meredith nodded. "Of course, have been looking forward to it."

Addie smiled. "Well we start in twenty minutes. I'll see you in OR 3."

Meredith nodded and headed down to meet the patient. She was about to enter the room when she ran into a very happy looking face.

"Meredith! It's good to see you back," Richard welcomed her. "I see you're looking good. Are you feeling okay?"

Meredith smiled brightly. "Feeling wonderful actually. I'm scrubbing in."

Richard gave her a nervous look. "Are you sure that's not too much, I mean, you haven't been here half an hour… is it that new guy, Dr Lewis who asked you to scrub in?"

Meredith laughed. "Nope, Dr Montgomery."

Richard's shook his head. "Well I guess that I can't argue with her then."

"I'll see you later Richard," Meredith said as he walked away with a wave.

Meredith entered her patient's room.

"Hello, I'm Dr Shepherd and I'll be prepping you for surgery." It felt good to be back.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After leaving the locker room, Cristina headed down to meet her mentor, her absolute favorite teacher, the man she once thought she loved but could now see wasn't the right guy, Preston Burke.

But things had started getting weird between them in the last little while. Burke started treating her differently, he didn't seem as friendly. Almost scared. Since he was back, they had built a friendship that everyone saw as near impossible. But things had been easy between them. Until now.

"Dr Burke," she greeted as she entered the scrub room. He just glanced over to her and said nothing. "What's going on with you?"

He finished washing his hands, then looked up at his ex-fiancé. "I'm dating someone," was all he said.

"And?" Cristina asked. "I'm dating someone too. That never stopped us from being friends."

"I've never been in a relationship since…" he trailed off.

Cristina just stood there quietly. She didn't know how to answer to that.

He decided that since she wasn't answering, he'd be better off going into the OR and prepare for surgery. Cristina would join him when she was ready.

The surgery went very successfully, and Cristina and Burke's work relationship, although their personal friendship wasn't very stable, still blew everyone's mind. They knew exactly what was going on in each other's heads. Cristina knew the surgery's better than any other resident, third year or higher. She even knew them better than some attendings. But that was just who Cristina was.

Once the surgery was done, Cristina and Burke went back to that awkward silence as they scrubbed out.

Finally, Cristina spoke up. "It's time you've moved on," she said, almost inaudible. "It's time you get your life going with someone who loves you and who you love and that you understand each other. I loved you Burke, but I didn't understand you, outside of the OR. And that's why we didn't work."

Burke smiled slightly. "I know. I couldn't understand you period."

Cristina laughed slightly."I hope she makes you happy."

Burke nodded. "She does, she really does…"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek had been sitting in his office when there was a light knock at the door, and then his favorite person in the world walked in.

"If it isn't just the person I was hoping for," he said with a smile as he got up to meet her. When he reached her, he lifted her in his arms and smiled. "Meredith's going to be jealous when she finds out I've replaced her as my favorite."

Stephanie giggled. "No she won't! She likes me too!"

Derek smiled. "Are you excited to go back to school?"

Stephanie nodded. "I'm going to be in grade three!" she exclaimed. After her fist year of school, the teacher's had assessed her as being too far ahead so they bumped her up a grade.

"You're a big girl," he said as he sat her down on his lap at his desk. "Maybe you could help me with my paperwork."

She scrunched up her nose. "I don't think so," she shook her head. "We haven't learnt that yet. Maybe this year!"

Derek laughed. "Maybe."

"Kayla's going to be in my class!" Stephanie exclaimed excitedly. "She's older than me, but not very much."

Derek smiled as he automatically calculated the age difference in his head. Stephanie would be seven in November, whereas Kayla turned nine in April. They were almost a year and a half apart, but that didn't matter because they would, in fact, both be in grade three. "That's awesome! Are you going to make sure she has lots of friends in your class?"

Stephanie nodded. She knew what being the new girl was like. "She can be my best friend though," she added with a very serious tone.

"She can," Derek nodded. Another knock at the door ended the short discussion between the two friends. "Come in," Derek called out.

"Hey," Meredith said as she came in. She looked tired, but her eyes brightened when she saw that Derek already had a guest.

"Meredith!" Stephanie exclaimed as she jumped off Derek's lap and ran over to the woman standing in the doorway.

"It looks like I'll never be able to keep a best friend for very long," Derek said with a laugh.

"Hey, why don't you go see if your mommy wants you, and then later on I'll go play with you? Does that sound good?"

Stephanie nodded and rushed out the door.

Meredith closed the door and collapsed on the couch. Derek was soon by her side.

"Are you okay Meredith?"

Meredith looked up at his worried expression and smiled, followed by a quick kiss.

"I'm great," she admitted. "Tired, sure, and my feet are definitely sore from all that standing, but I feel completely like me again."

Derek smiled as he made room for himself beside Meredith. "That's good to hear."

"I realized, today, that I can't wait for our babies to be born," Meredith said suddenly. "I was liking the whole feel of being pregnant, other than the morning sickness, but I realized that actually holding our babies is going to be amazing."

Derek smiled. "That's good to know. Three and a half more months."

Meredith nodded. "It feels so unreal."

Derek laughed. "I still remember walking in on you when Addie was doing your check up, as if it was yesterday."

Meredith laughed. "I still remember sitting in your house of lavenders, talking about how we should wait."

Derek smiled. "I'm glad we didn't have to wait, that you had already been pregnant."

"Me too."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After having spent a little time in their own little bubble, Meredith and Derek decided to head down to the cafeteria for lunch. They grabbed a few things to eat, and with their trays, made their way to where their friends were sitting.

"Come on," Izzie said, "you need to start looking at this with more enthusiasm."

Mark laughed. "I need to start worrying about what you're going to make me do."

Lexie was laughing and Jackson was trying hard not to, but it was obvious he was failing.

"Izzie, what are you doing here?" Meredith asked as she took a seat beside Lexie.

"She's trying to convince me to take ballroom dancing classes."

Derek nearly spit out the juice he had just taken a sip of. "You're what?"

"That's how I reacted," Mark answered.

Meredith couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Mark taking dance classes. Lexie was definitely finding it hilarious.

"Izzie, give him a break," Jackson spoke up. "He's not as corny as Derek, this is definitely not his thing."

"Hey," Derek said. "Did you see the way he proposed? And you're calling him not corny?"

"It was your setup Derek," Mark reminded him. "I just played along."

Lexie and Meredith continued to laugh. "I swear, I missed this so much, stuck at home."

Lexie nodded. "Trust me, this isn't going to be the end of it."

Meredith was suddenly paged, so she excused herself and headed to the room she was informed to go to.

When she arrived, she was surprised to notice it was empty, except for a doctor she did not recognize. He got up from his seat in the corner, and when he reached Meredith, he put out his hand. "Dr Malcolm Lewis, Head of Neurosurgery. I've been informed that you, Dr Shepherd, are the best in your year and that you want to specialize in Neuro. It looks like we'll be working a lot together."

Meredith smiled a friendly smile. "Dr Meredith Shepherd, but you seem to know that already."

Malcolm laughed. "I was told Chief Shepherd had a lot of sisters who were doctors, but I didn't know he had more than one here."

Meredith didn't know how to react. He thought she was one of Derek's sisters!

"Actually, um, I'm not his sister…"

"A cousin? Anyway, it doesn't matter. You don't need to be related to Derek Shepherd to be a better Neurosurgeon then him. And I've heard that you're getting pretty close to being the next big thing in Neurosurgery." He finished with a wink. Meredith was glued to place. Was he flirting with her?

"Dr Shepherd has been my mentor since I started my intership," she started explaining. But she didn't get to finish.

"Well it looks like I have a pretty big footstep to replace. Why don't I start impressing you by taking you out for dinner? Let's say, tomorrow night?"

Meredith couldn't believe her ears. Had she just been asked out? "Um…"

"Great! We can go straight from work. I'll pick you up at the main doors around seven."

And with that, he was gone. Meredith hadn't even had the chance to put one word in. And now she had a date tomorrow night. With someone other than her husband.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Mark, you don't have to do everything Izzie says you do," Lexie tried convincing him as they sat in his office. "You can do whatever you want."

Mark shook his head. "No, I'll do whatever you want, so if you want me to take dance lessons, I will."

Lexie smiled at how loving Mark was. He always put her before himself. But Lexie needed to save him from humiliation. "Although it would definitely give me a good laugh, I don't think I could go through with you taking dance classes. I think you'd embarrass both of us."

Mark let out a breath. "Oh thank God. I really didn't want to take those lessons."

Lexie laughed. "I kind of guessed that already."

Mark smiled at his fiancé. He got up from his seat and joined her on the couch. "I love you," he said as he pulled her as close to him as he possibly could.

Lexie smiled. "I love you too." He leaned in and kissed her, and although Mark wished they went further, he pulled away, knowing he couldn't start what they might not be able to finish.

"I can't believe we ever broke up."

Lexie put her finger on his lips. "We never did," she said with the most beautiful smile. Mark smiled back and kissed her again.

"And never will," he added.

Lexie nodded. "This is forever Mark, right?"

Mark pulled back. "Are you having doubts Lexie Grey?"

She shook her head. "Not doubts, it's just… you never were the settle down guy, start a family guy, only sleep with one woman for the rest of his life guy… I just don't want you to give up on me when you get bored…"

Mark pulled her as close as he could. "I changed Lexie," he started. "I changed when I met you, when I started having feelings for you, when we started seeing each other secretly. I changed. I wouldn't have gone through all that trouble sneaking around if it had of been just another girl. I knew that we were more than a fling. I knew you meant more to me than all the other woman. You were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. There was no way I would settle for anything else, no way I would settle for anybody else. You changed me little Grey, and there's no way I'll ever get bored of being with you."

Lexie was touched. She almost had teary eyes. Mark was serious, and he smiled as he pulled her in for a kiss, one filled with tenderness, gentleness and love. Definitely not an old Mark feature. And it made Lexie feel amazing to know she was in fact the only one who could ever change Mark this drastically.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After her shift had ended, Meredith met up with Cristina in the lobby and they made their way to hers and Jackson's apartment, which was a little ways across town. They had stayed quiet most of the car ride, wanting to save all their gossip and crap for when they were cuddled up in Cristina's bed with a tub of ice cream, like they used to do what seemed like forever ago.

"It seems like such a long time since we did this last," Meredith said as Cristina came into her bedroom with the strawberry ice cream in one hand, and the spoons in the other. She handed it over to Meredith and instantly fell over beside her on the bed.

"It's because it has been forever. The last time we did this was before you knew you were pregnant."

Meredith nodded. "I've sort of been wrapped up in my own little world with Derek lately that I've been pushing you aside."

Cristina shrugged. "It's okay. I mean, sure you've been way too caught up with McDreamy, but that's totally normal since you guys are having a baby. And I can't hate you for loving your baby."

"Babies," Meredith corrected with a laugh. "I know, it still hasn't sunk in."

Cristina laughed as she took a spoonful of ice cream. "You and your pregnant hormones have got me thinking crazy things Grey."

Meredith was now curious. Where did this come from? "What kind of things?" She turned towards her friend to see that she was in fact pulling down her outer wall of tough impenetrable emotions. Whatever it was, it was big.

"You've got me thinking about… babies, and how maybe I want kids… someday…maybe… soon…"

Meredith was shocked. This was not the Cristina she knew. What had happened to her in the last little while? Had Meredith seriously pushed her aside enough to not even realize she had changed so drastically?

"Cristina! That's… well that's not like you, but that's amazing!"

Cristina looked up at her person. "You've ruined me, you know that? I'm thinking about babies, and family and marriage… I don't recognize myself anymore. I'm not me anymore."

Meredith smiled brightly at her friend. "You're changing for the better. Have you talked to Jackson about this?"

Cristina was quick to answer. "No way. When he asked me out, I was the focused surgeon, the one that didn't know what emotions were. What if he thinks I've changed so much that he doesn't love me anymore?"

Meredith saw the pain in her friend's eyes. "He loves you Cristina, no matter what. Derek still loved me when I became whole and healed, even though he fell in love with the dark and twisty me. Jackson will always love you."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek hadn't seen Meredith since lunch. He knew she was fine, and not Meredith fine, but actually fine since she texted him right before leaving the hospital with Cristina assuring him she had a good day and would see him later on tonight, but he still missed having her come visit him throughout the day. He knew it was because she had scrubbed in on another surgery with Addie, after there were some complications that had been discovered in their first surgery, but he still wished she would have come by before leaving.

He was becoming a sop.

"Dude, you need to stop worrying about her so much," Mark said as he took a shot with the basket ball, and missed by a mile. Mark could read him so well, due to a long life spent as brothers.

"He's allowed to worry about her, it's only normal, and expected of future fathers," Amy said as she gave Mark a look that said 'you're an idiot.'

"Besides, if he didn't worry, he wouldn't be Derek," Miranda added. She wasn't usually one for hanging out with the other attendings, but since the wedding and the beginning of Meredith's pregnancy she had become much more close to not only the couple in question but to all of the big family.

"Derek does have a habit of being overly worried, all the time," Mark agreed.

"Could you guys stop talking about me as if I wasn't here?" he asked, not really mad, but just stating that he could in fact hear them.

"Well your pretty close to not being here," Amy pointed out. "You've been spacing out since we got here."

Derek shrugged. "I have a lot on my mind," was all he said.

"Like what?" Mark asked.

Derek looked around to the people who were now looking at him for some sort of explanation. His friends and family were always way too curious. They were just as bad as the nurses when it came to gossip.

"Meredith's almost in her third trimester. We haven't done any shopping for baby stuff, and other than the few gifts we've gotten from the family, we don't have much for the baby. We haven't even thought much about names, and Addison says there's a very high chance she goes into labor prematurely. She could have the baby anytime now, and we haven't planned anything. And I'm worried about her. Twins, and she's still tiny."

Mark came over and patted him on the back. "You need to talk to her about all of this. She needs to hear it from you. Maybe she's thinking all the same things, she just doesn't know if you feel that it's almost time and you guys aren't ready."

"Yeah, I'll talk to her. Tonight hopefully."

Mark smiled. "That's my boy."

Amy decided to speak up. "I've got a lot of Daniels stuff still, so if it happened that you didn't have a chance to get everything you needed because the babies come along faster than you expected, you've always got that as a backup."

Miranda nodded. "Tuck's stuff is still mostly in storage at his father's but I could probably get my hands on whatever you needed."

Derek couldn't believe the luck he had when it came to the people who surrounded him. If this had been his old life, in New York with Addie, his coworkers wouldn't have even thought to talk to him about his worries. They were all to wrapped up in their own lives to notice their coworkers. Here, his coworkers had become his second family, and even when they had their own things in life to face, they were always there for one another. Just like a real family.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Jackson and Lexie were both on-call that night. It being pretty slow, they had both made their way to the underground tunnels to do charts or just to get away from the buzzing hospital life.

"Hey," Lexie said as she noticed that she wasn't the only person who thought of the hideaway.

"Hey," Jackson called back as he scooted over and made room for her on the gurney they used as a bench.

"Charts?" she asked, referring to the sheets in his hands.

"Nope," he answered with a smile. He showed her the sheet of paper.

"Jackson! That's amazing!" she exclaimed.

Jackson laughed. "We're almost like siblings, right? I mean, you being Meredith's sister and me being her brother?"

Lexie laughed. "I think that on levels of family and siblings in our group, it doesn't matter if you're actually related. Look at Meredith and Cristina, or Mark and Derek."

Jackson nodded. "Okay, then this is me confiding in my sister. You can keep a secret right?"

Lexie nodded. "You have no idea," she answered, referring to the biggest secret she even had to keep, and that was her relationship with Mark.

"The thought popped into my head a week ago. I mean, most serious relationships lead up to this, and I knew since the beginning, well mostly when she moved in, that it was a possibility, but it's Cristina, and after hearing about what Burke did and that it could have caused some insecurities that she doesn't let show, I kind of pushed it aside. But last week, I had this feeling that this is what was right, that this is what we both wanted, just in the way she acts, or the way she talks. And I really hope she wants this, because I do."

Lexie smiled and gave Jackson a hug. "I'm sure she's been thinking about it," she answered. "I mean, you're the first person that has made Cristina this open about her emotions. I still remember the day you left her a note in her locker. I was there when she found it. And she had a sparkle in her eye that I had never seen before. I think this is the first time she is truly in love."

"It's just, it's so fast," Jackson stated. "It's only been, what, five months? I'm not planning on doing it really soon, but the idea has gotten into my head, and now it's all I think about. Is five months too soon to think about all of this?"

Lexie shook her head. "When it's love, nothing is too soon."

She took the small package of paper from Jackson's hand and started looking at all the variety.

"Definitely go with simple," she said. "Cristina's a simple person. She doesn't want too flashy."

"How do I know which ones right?" he asked.

"You'll just know," she said as she looked down at her own ring. "You'll just know."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Their heart to heart, sentimental moment had ended and soon enough, Cristina was already complaining about something or other.

"That new guy, ugh, he seems so… stuck up… it's all about him, he's the best, he's the guy… McCocky."

Meredith burst out laughing. "And the McNicknames live on." Once her laughter had stopped, she shook her head. "You have no idea Cristina."

"I feel bad for you Mer. He's your new guy, the Brain guy. He has to be your inspiration."

Meredith shook her head. "My first Brain guy will always be my inspiration," she smiled. "And new Brain guy is an idiot. He asked me out."

Cristina choked on her spoonful of ice cream. "He what?"

"He asked me on a date for tomorrow night. Just out of the blue."

Cristina was blown away. "You're Dr Meredith Shepherd… didn't he notice the last name thing?"

Meredith rolled her eyes. "He thought I was one of Derek's many sisters. I told him I wasn't, but I wasn't able to tell him he was my husband. He thinks I'm a cousin."

It was Cristina's turn to burst out laughing. "He'll be fired once Derek finds out."

Meredith laughed along. "I'll tell him tonight. That way I won't have to worry about my date tomorrow night."

Cristina couldn't stop herself from laughing. She was laughing so hard that she couldn't bother getting up when the doorbell rang. So Meredith decided she'd leave her person to her humor and find out who their guest was.

When she opened the door, there was an older lady standing there. She seemed to be in her late fifties, early sixties and didn't seem at all familiar. Meredith suddenly had a flashback from the last time she opened the door for a stranger and felt a chill run down her spine. But Cristina was here. Nothing could happen. Right?

"Hello," she said with a smile. "Can I help you?"

The lady seemed a little confused. "I was told Jackson Avery lived here. I must have the wrong place." She was about to leave when Meredith called her back.

"This is his place. He's at the hospital, on-call," she answered, not knowing whether the stranger knew he was a doctor, because saying somebody was at the hospital usually meant that they were hurt or something was wrong.

"Oh okay then. Are you his girlfriend?"

Meredith laughed slightly at the thought of being Jackson's girlfriend. The lady just gave her another confused look.

"No, I'm his half sister, Meredith Shepherd," she introduced herself. "And you are?"

"His mother, Helen Avery."


	38. Laughter, tears and jealousy

**Disclaimer : I do not own Grey's Anatomy, but during times like these where they leave us hanging, I wish I did ...**

"_No, I'm his half sister, Meredith Shepherd," she introduced herself. "And you are?"_

"_His mother, Helen Avery."_

After the initial shock had passed, Meredith had found her voice again. "It's… it's a pleasure… to meet you. Why don't you… come in?" she invited her.

"No that's all right, I don't want to bother you."

Meredith smiled. "It's no problem at all," she answered sincerely. "I could take you to the hospital if you'd like, well I mean, my friend Cristina could take us, since my car is still there, but I could show you how to get there… I mean, if you want to go there, because that's where Jackson is… at the hospital."

Helen laughed. "You ramble just like him, if not more."

Meredith smirked and nodded. "Yeah I get it from both sides apparently."

Helen laughed. "Well if you wouldn't mind showing me how to get to the hospital, I would be glad to drive you so you don't need to bother your friend."

Meredith suddenly remembered that Cristina was in the other room. "Actually, she might want to meet you before you leave. And I might just take you up on your offer. But come in, make yourself at home for a little while."

This time, Helen did come in and took a seat in the small living room.

"Would you like something?" Meredith asked, playing polite hostess, even though this wasn't even her home.

"No I'm alright."

Meredith smiled and swiftly went back into Jackson and Cristina's room.

"Who was it?" Cristina asked, now settled down.

Meredith smirked. "Of it was just someone looking for Jackson."

Cristina suddenly seemed curious. "Another girlfriend?" she asked with a laugh.

"Better," she said as she dragged her friend out.

"Helen, meet Cristina Yang."

Helen got up and made her way to the two women and shook Cristina's hand. "It's nice to meet you. You must be the girlfriend."

Meredith laughed. "Yeah, that's her. Not me."

Helen laughed a little too. "I'm sorry about that," she apologized. "It's just, that's usually what it is."

Meredith nodded. "I know what you mean." She then looked at Cristina's confused expression. "Oh right, I forgot about you," she said to her person. "Cristina, this is Helen Avery."

Cristina's eyes suddenly shifted from confused to surprised. "Avery… as in… Jackson's…"

"Mother," Helen finished. "Well adoptive mother. His real mother… well I'm sure you know the story."

Meredith nodded. "His real mother was a terrible mother. He should be thankful to have had someone like you."

Helen looked at Meredith. "Ellis Grey's daughter. Her first child."

Meredith nodded. "And her only, until we found out in April about Jackson's true identity."

Helen nodded. "I was instructed by your mother to not reveal his true identity until he was old enough to understand, but I was punished because of it."

Cristina finally spoke up, interested in what the older lady was saying. "Why?"

"He hasn't talked to me since the day I told him he was adopted. Or his father for that matter. And although him and his sister were close when they were younger, she hasn't made much effort to keep their relationship strong once she had moved away for university."

They all nodded and Meredith informed Cristina that she was going to show Helen to the hospital and that they'd see each other in the morning.

"So how did Jackson find you, I mean, once he found out who his mother was?"

Meredith smiled. "We work together. We have been for almost a year now. We had actually just become closer in the few days before he found out we were related. He was living at my place because there had been a fire in his apartment and my house has been the hospital resident dorm since the beginning of my internship, so he asked me if he could stay a while. And that's when we got to know each other."

Helen nodded. "You seem like quite the nice young woman considering all the circumstances. I was told your mother wasn't the best mother." Meredith didn't put the pieces together. But she would soon find out what she meant. "I had an old friend from college who knew your mother quite well. Before we adopted Jackson, I used to talk to her all the time. We talked about everything, and she told me about you, since she used to look out for you. I haven't talked to her since I found out Ellis, the person she had so much hatred for was the mother of the child I was about to adopt. I sent her a Christmas letter that year, with a picture of Jackson, but that was it. She didn't need to hear about the coincidence that could have changed everything between us."

Meredith knew who she was talking about. "She knows about Jackson, and she knows that he's your son."

Helen seemed shocked. "You still know Adele?"

Meredith nodded. "Quite well actually. Even more now since we all found out Jackson's true identity."

"I didn't think she'd take all that much interest, especially since she hated his true mother, no offence, because of our friendship."

Meredith shook her head. "Although that did help, that's not the true reason."

"Then what is?" she asked confused.

"Her husband, Richard Webber, is Jackson's father."

Helen gasped. "What…? Richard… Richard had an affair?"

Meredith nodded. "I take it you know him?"

"When they met, I was Adele's closest friend. I went through their relationship. I had even come to their wedding, even if we weren't the friends we had been. But Adele said it was important since I had been there for the beginning of it, that she wanted me there."

Meredith smiled. "That's sweet."

"How have you stayed in contact with the two of them?"

Meredith laughed. "Richard was the chief of surgery at Seattle Grace until just recently. He was my boss. That's how I found out about the affair he had with my mother."

"Has Jackson had the chance to meet his birth mother?" Helen then asked, timidly.

Meredith shook her head. "No, she passed away a few years ago. She had Alzheimer's."

"Oh that's terrible," Helen said. "I wouldn't wish that on anybody."

Meredith shrugged. "Karma?" she suggested.

Helen just smiled. "Maybe."

They were quiet for a few moments. Meredith pointed to the exit they needed to take, then they continued silently for a few more moments.

"Cristina, what does she do as a living?"

Meredith laughed. "Pretty much all of Jackson's friends that you'll meet while you are here are surgeons. Other than the Harrington's, which I know you already know."

Helen's eyes lit up. "He's gotten to see them?"

Meredith nodded. "Yes, we've all met them."

"Do they still have the Inn?"

Meredith nodded. "It's such a beautiful place. I don't know why it doesn't get more business."

"You've been there?"

She smiled as she thought about the time she spent at the Inn. "Yes, several days actually. It's a long story, but the gist of it is that Jackson and the rest of our friends planned my husband and I a surprise wedding as a thank you. We were already married, sort or, but we had given our actual wedding up for two of other friends, one of which was dying with cancer."

"Oh my goodness. That's terrible."

"She survived," Meredith smiled. "She was a fighter. Anyway, they planned it at the Inn. It was amazing. And now four of our friends are living in two of the cottages."

Helen smiled brightly. "That's good to know." She paused. "I know this is sort of personal, but I want to take a guess here. Your husband, he's a doctor too?"

Meredith laughed. "You've caught on. He's the chief of surgery actually."

Helen laughed too. "Well I knew he'd have something to do with the hospital. From what I've heard, there are quite the exciting ties between all of you. Confusing ties, I should add."

Meredith couldn't help but laugh a little again, even though when you thought of it, it was quite scary. "You have no idea. That's only about half of them."

Helen shook her head. "I'm disappointed I've missed out on such a big part of my son's life. I mean, he's never really had real friends most of his life since he was younger than all of his classmates, and a nerd, but you guys seem to have found something nobody else has. And he's never been in a real relationship before, but it looks like him and Cristina are pretty serious, just from the fact that they're living together."

Meredith nodded. "Cristina shocked me tonight. She's never really been the 'fall in love with the perfect guy' type of girl, but I really do think that this is it, for both of them."

Helen smiled. "My little boy…" she sighed. "I just wish he hadn't pushed me away."

"Maybe seeing you will make him come to his senses."

Helen looked up hopefully. "You think so?"

Meredith nodded. "I hope so. You seem like such an amazing woman. I don't know how someone can ignore having a woman like you in their life. You remind me so much of my mother in law."

Helen laughed. "Isn't that usually a bad thing?"

Meredith laughed too. "No, Carolyn is amazing. She treats me just like her other daughters and she's the first real mother figure I've had in my life. Other than my old resident and Adele. And I know that that goes against the bylaws of the in-laws, but it's true. "

They were now pulling into the parking lot and as Helen parked the car in the visitor area, she took a deep breath.

"Here goes nothing."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Jackson was still discussing rings and the future with Lexie when they heard voices coming towards them.

"Looks like we're about to get caught," Jackson whispered as he hid his pile of paper in the charts he had brought with him that he should have been getting done.

"I knew I'd find you down here," Meredith called out when she saw Jackson and Lexie. He was about to make a comment, but he lost all train of thought when he saw the person who came in behind her.

Meredith ignored Jackson's reaction and proceeded by introducing Lexie. "Helen, this is Lexie Grey, my half sister, on my dad's side," she précised.

"Delighted to meet you," Helen shook her hand. "I'm – "

But she was rudely interrupted.

"Stop," Jackson commanded, and Helen automatically did.

"That's not very nice," Lexie said as she smacked him in the arm. But Jackson wasn't in the mood for games.

"What are you doing here?"

Helen's eyes became misty. "I wanted to see you. I missed you."

Lexie had never seen this Jackson before. "Jackson, why are you acting so rude? Are you trying to be cruel?"

Jackson spun around, and Lexie saw the anger and the pain in his eyes. "Do you know what's cruel? Keeping my true identity from me for a quarter of my life! Keeping my real family a secret!"

Meredith didn't like this, so she butted in. "Jackson, she is your real family. Family isn't classified by who's blood is running through your veins. It's by who shows you love and tenderness, treats you like a human being. You're not allowed to complain about not knowing what family is when you had such a perfect family, and I lived with a mom who didn't care!" Meredith's eyes started to well with tears.

"Meredith, I'm sorry…" Jackson didn't know how to comfort her. He was sure it was the hormones, but she was still hurting as her past came into play.

Meredith ran off and Jackson was about to follow when Lexie intercepted. "I'll go make sure she's alright." And with that, Lexie was gone too.

"Is she… is Meredith alright?"

Jackson now realized something he didn't notice just moments before. "How did you meet Meredith?"

"I went to your apartment, and I met her and Cristina," she smiled as she said the last name. "Meredith offered to show me to the hospital, and I offered her a ride here in exchange, since she told me her car was here. We had a chance to get to know each other on the way."

Jackson didn't believe his ears. And not about meeting Meredith. "Hold up. You met Cristina?"

Helen nodded. "She was quiet, probably shocked since I kind of just showed up, but she seemed nice."

Jackson smiled. "She's amazing mom." As he let the last word out, he knew that he had been overreacting this entire time and hurting his mother for no reason. "I'm sorry mom," he pulled her in for a hug and the two of them let out a few tears as they both said their apologies.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Meredith!" Lexie called out. She knew Meredith had run this way, but as she looked down the hall, there was no one in sight.

"Shhh!" somebody whispered, and then chuckled. She then felt a pull at her wrist and it took her into the closet. The lights flickered on and once her eyes adjusted to the overly excessive amount of light, she recognized her kidnapper.

"Meredith, are you okay?"

Meredith nodded and had a devilish smile on her lips. There were no more tears or pain in her eyes. In fact, she didn't look upset at all.

"What happened just there?"

Meredith smiled. "I softened Jackson up by getting upset so that his mother wouldn't get as much of his anger as she would have, if he had stayed as mad as he was. I knew these pregnant hormones would come in handy someday. Who knew I could use them for the good of others?"

Lexie was shocked, but couldn't help but let out a giggle. "So you're okay?" she asked, back in the role of worried little sister.

"Actually, I'm really good. Had a great night with Cristina, then got to meet Helen, and made the world a better place."

"So that's Jackson adoptive mother?" Lexie sort of asked, as if looking for a confirmation.

Meredith nodded. "Yes and I already like her better than my mom, even though that's not hard to beat."

Lexie laughed. "I wonder how long it will take before Jackson forgives her."

Meredith giggled. "Probably not long. Jackson's a sap."

Lexie nodded. "So I've noticed."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After Meredith had left, Cristina realized she had a lot to think about. Her relationship with Jackson had in fact been so perfect since the beginning that she didn't even notice the changes. Everyone around her seemed to realize she wasn't the same, that little things were changing, but to this point? She didn't know where all of this had come from, the thoughts of marriage and starting a family. This was not the person she had pictured herself to be. When she started her internship, she was nothing but an amazing student who was willing to learn anything medical as long as it advanced her life as a doctor. Even with Burke, they're relationship was being strengthened by the time they spent together in the OR, not the love they really shared.

But with Jackson everything was different. Surgery had nothing to do with it. The only reason the hospital was even part of their relationship was because that's how they met and got to know each other. It was also where they were able to spend most of their time together. But it had nothing to do with medicine. Their relationship was just as strong outside of the four walls than it was inside of them. Even more outside, because there, they weren't competing against each other for surgeries.

_A family_. Was Cristina really mother material? She couldn't help thinking about her first pregnancy. The results weren't the best. But she realized she had been emotional. It had done something to her. Just being pregnant had changed her. Only for a few hours, maybe, but she hadn't been the same person for those few hours. Maybe being pregnant wasn't that bad of a thing in the end. Look at Meredith! Meredith who used to be dark and twisty was now pregnant, and happy about it, married and smiling all the time. Cristina seemed to want that more and more, and it started scaring her. _What has happened to me?_

Meredith was her person, Jackson was her love, and when Cristina really thought about it, she didn't have many other people she confided in. Sure, her and Lexie had been getting closer, and Izzie had come to her for help, but they weren't people Cristina was ready to talk to on this much of personal levels. Meredith had so many people. Why couldn't Cristina have the people Meredith did?

And that was when Cristina realized what she had never realized before. She was jealous. Jealous of her best friend, her person. She had life good right now, maybe not easy, but it was good. And Cristina couldn't help but wish that maybe her life could be good too. It was, but as good as Meredith's.

_If anyone finds out_, she thought, _I'm doomed._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"You seem in a good mood," Derek greeted Meredith in the lobby with a kiss. He had just finished everything up for the night and was headed to his car when he recognized the silhouette standing by the door, watching the light rain fall down. "What are you doing back at the hospital?"

Meredith smiled at Derek's loving gesture, the gesture she would have thought was pathetic not so many years ago. She thought about how much she was the complete opposite of how she used to be, with just a touch of her old ways and habits, like her dark and twisty moments and her uncontrollable rambles, which she never seemed to be able to completely leave behind.

"I was making the world a better place by showing Helen how to get to the hospital so she could reunite with the son who will no longer speak to her."

Derek gave her a puzzled look and laughed. "Meredith, what happened to you? Making the world a better place? And who's Helen?"

Meredith laughed too . "I sounded like you and your corniness. And Helen is Jackson's mom, well… you get it."

Derek smiled at her. "I get it. And Jackson's mom is here?"

Meredith nodded. "She's such a nice lady. Jackson is so lucky. Helen reminds me so much of your mother."

Derek grabbed her hand and started leading her through the rain to his car. "It seems like the two of you have gotten a chance to get to know each other."

Meredith nodded. "We have. An entire drive from Jackson and Cristina's apartment to the hospital worth of time. She's very sweet."

Derek opened the passenger door like a gentleman and Meredith couldn't help but roll her eyes, even though deep down, she loved it. He made his way to the driver's side and once the car had started moving he started talking again. "So how was yours and Cristina's night, up until meeting Jackson's mom?"

Meredith smiled. "It was great. It had been so long since we had done something like that. I always seem to be too busy with you and the babies, that I didn't realize I was pushing my person aside."

Derek smiled as he grabbed her hand. "Don't ever let Cristina get away from you. A friendship like yours is hard to find."

Meredith smiled at how respecting Derek was of her friendship with Cristina. He knew that Cristina would always be a part of who she was, and that even if he didn't like her that much, he still wished that they stay friends forever. It took a real man to respect that.

"I've learnt to start liking Cristina lately," Derek admitted. "Now that she's not in our bed or on the phone with you all night, she seems to be a great person. And is it just me, or has she changed in these last few months?"

Meredith smiled at how quickly Derek caught on. "She's been different since her and Jackson started dating," Meredith agreed. "You know what Derek? She's talking about marriage and babies and family stuff. Cristina Yang is talking about a family!"

Derek wasn't as shocked as Meredith had been. "I saw it coming," he admitted. Meredith was intrigued at what she had missed in all of this, how Derek was able to see it coming, and her, Cristina's person, had been shocked. So he continued. "The time, where… where you were… gone," he said with difficulty, staying focused on the road, "Cristina was crushed. I found her in crying in the residents locker room one day," he admitted.

"_Yang?" he called out as he walked in to the almost empty locker room. She had been on-call the night before and her shift was just coming to an end. Derek had seen her go into the locker room, but she hadn't come back out immediately like she usually did. It had been a good fifteen minutes since he had seen her go in from the place he was studying his charts._

"_Cristina?" he called out again. He finally found her in the corner, head in her hands, knees curled up. "What's wrong?"_

_She knew she had been caught. And when she looked up and saw the face of the person who she knew was going through more pain than her right now, she didn't know what to answer. But he did it for her._

"_She'll be back you know."_

_Cristina nodded slowly, figuring that if Derek, out of all people could keep hope, than so could she. She finally decided to speak. _

"_She's my rock, she's the one who keeps me solid. Without her, I'm like a surgeon without a scalpel, I can't perform properly. She's the one who gives me hope in life. She's been through hell, and yet, she still comes to work with a smile on her face. She's not dark and twisty anymore, and I don't want to be dark and twisty alone."_

_Derek was surprised not only by how his wife's person had just opened up to him for the first time, but also by how much she didn't seem like the Cristina he had grown to know._

_He didn't know how to answer to that, but he didn't have to. He saw her gaze shift from him to over his shoulder, and then a small smile built on her lips. Derek turned around only to notice the only person who could make Cristina seem so loving. Jackson was standing in the doorway a worried expression on his face._

"_I was waiting for you, but you weren't coming so I thought I'd check on you." Her smile grew bigger and she looked at Derek, a look Derek had never seen Cristina give anybody before, and as she got up slowly, she whispered a light 'thank you' to Derek, and as she turned to Jackson she mumbled a quick 'let's go home.' When she was at his side, he wrapped his arm around her waist and she leaned on him, as if looking for support. Derek was blown away. What had Jackson done to her? He would only realize later, while talking to Mark, that Jackson had done the same thing to Cristina as he had done to Meredith and Lexie had done for him; made her believe that true love did exist._

"Cristina opened up to you?" she asked, surprised.

Derek nodded as he pulled onto the park that overlooked the ferry boats. It was still a little early, and he knew how much Meredith loved this place. A few minutes here would be nice.

"She wasn't the Cristina I was used to having around," he admitted. "She had feelings."

Meredith hit him and Derek laughed. "I know what you mean though," Meredith admitted. "About her having feelings. She has shown more emotions lately."

Derek nodded and smiled. "She's changing little by little, just like you had done. And look at where you are now."

Meredith smirked. "Have I changed that much?"

Derek knew that the truth was yes. But how hormonal could Meredith get? Would it be a mistake to tell her that she had in fact changed majorly since the first year of their relationship?

"You have changed a lot Meredith, every bit of you. You're sentimental, you see life more positively and you've found a caring motherly side of you you didn't even know existed. You have changed a lot, but there's nothing that makes of you someone you are not. You've changed for the good, and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Teary eyed, Meredith leaned over the console between them and gave Derek a quick peck on the lips. "I love you Derek, so much."

Derek smiled and placed his hand on her cheeks. "I love you too, more than you can imagine. And I love what our love has created for us." He pulled away one of his hands from Meredith face and placed it on her belly, where Meredith instinctively placed her hands too so that her were resting on top of his. It wasn't long before they were sharing a kiss that would remind them of everything they were grateful for in life.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Jackson had suggested grabbing a coffee at the coffee cart, then heading to the cafeteria to catch up a bit with his mom. The cafeteria wasn't very busy this time of night, so it wasn't too hard to find an isolated corner where they could talk privately.

"So I take it you're enjoying it here, at Seattle Grace?" Helen decided to start off light, not knowing what her son was comfortable sharing with her at this point.

He smiled. "I'm loving it, much more than I imagined I would. Especially since I've gotten in with the Seattle Grace crowd. They're great people, they look out for one another and they're very forgiving, so if I mess up, I know they won't hold it against me. They're so much different than the people I'm used to being around."

Helen nodded as she took in the bright smile on Jackson's face. She didn't remember ever seeing a smile quite as full of joy as the one splayed across his face in that very moment.

"I haven't had the chance to meet very many of them, and other than Meredith I can't make much of an opinion on them since we didn't get the chance to speak all that much, but I hope I get the chance to meet more of them."

"How long are you staying?" Jackson then asked curiously.

"I'm not too sure yet, but I'll leave if you don't want – "

Jackson cut her off. "No, no! I was asking because I was hoping you'd be here long enough to meet everyone. If you were only here for the night, than it would be difficult, but I really do want you here. I missed you too, and I am truly sorry for the way I've treated you since that day, where you told me the truth."

Helen was glad her son didn't want to get rid of her right away, and that he wanted her to meet the people whom he spoke so highly of. "I understand, about how you reacted. I know, it's tough, especially at this age, but I hear you've gotten a lot out of learning the truth."

Jackson nodded. "Richard and Adele weren't able to have kids, so they've treated me like their son. They invite me over for supper almost once a week and Richard and I have gotten the chance to do a lot of father/son bonding. And Meredith, I couldn't ask for a better sister. I mean, Vicky was great when we were younger, but Meredith is such a loving person, even with all the crap she's been through in life, and I don't know how she does it, especially since things are tough on her right now too."

Helen didn't want to be nosy, so she didn't ask about what he was talking about. But she did want to make sure she was okay. "I hope she's okay. I mean, about how she ran off. Does it hurt her that much when family is brought up?"

Jackson shook his head. "I think it was mostly brought on by the hormones. She hasn't been bad since the beginning of it all, but they come out here and there."

Helen seemed confused. Jackson noticed right away, and then thought about how he had phrased that.

"Pregnancy hormones. She's pregnant."

Helen smiled. "I was going to guess that, she does have a little baby bump, but I didn't want to make a comment and …"

Jackson laughed. "I know what you mean. I had guessed it and asked her about it, hoping I was right, or else it would have very awkward."

Helen laughed. "I've done it before. It's not pretty."

Jackson laughed along with her and they sipped on their cooling coffees.

"She must still be early in her pregnancy for her bump to still be very unnoticeable."

Jackson laughed. That's what everyone thought. She only started looking pregnant in the last few months, so people didn't believe her when she told them she was almost at the beginning of her third trimester. "She's about 26 weeks along."

Helen's shocked expression made Jackson laugh harder. "But she's… she's so tiny!"

"Then you won't believe me when I tell you she's carrying twins."

Helen just couldn't believe her ears. "There's no way there are two babies in that tiny stomach of hers."

Jackson nodded. "Well there is."

As if someone force above them knew Helen still needed proof, Addie chose that exact moment to enter the cafeteria.

"Dr Montgomery!" Jackson called out.

Addie looked around to see where the voice who was calling her was coming from and smiled when she saw Jackson. "Hey Jackson," she said as she approached.

"Tell my mother that Meredith is at the end of her second trimester _and _is carrying twins." He then remembered introductions. "Oh right. Addison, meet my mother, Helen Avery. Mom, meet Dr Addison Montgomery, Neo-Natal specialist _and _Meredith's OBG."

Addie smiled. "It's nice to meet you," she said with a hand shake. She chuckled slightly. "And as hard as it is to believe, Meredith is in fact pregnant with twins. According to doctor/patient confidentiality, I shouldn't have been able to tell you that, but I'm not her doctor right now, I'm just another one of her friends and as a doctor at Seattle Grace, I have to admit I love gossiping," she added with a laugh.

Jackson invited her to join them and Addie accepted, not having anything better to do. Her patients had all been taken care of, charts were handed on to residents and paperwork was filled. Waiting for someone to page her was all she had going on right now.

"My mom's staying here a while so I'm trying to introduce her to as many of the members of the Seattle Grace Crew as possible before she leaves."

Addison nodded. "So far you've met Meredith, I'm guessing. Anybody else we can scratch off the list?"

"I met Lexie very quickly, and Cristina, but I haven't gotten to really meet them. Yet," she added with a smile. "I'm especially interested in getting to know Cristina."

"Good luck," Addison mumbled and Jackson just rolled his eyes.

"She's different than she used to be," Jackson said more to Addie than to his mom. "The Cristina you met as an intern is different than the Cristina today."

Addie smiled. "I know. I'm just playing with you." She decided to change the subject. "So Mrs. Avery, where are you staying?"

"Call me Helen," she said with a wave of the hand. "And I'm planning at staying at the Harrington's Inn, if they'll let me," she added with a laugh.

Jackson caught Addie's eye quickly. This topic could get interesting.

"They were like sons to me, and I haven't seen them in quite a while. Are they all still staying at the Inn?"

Jackson had to keep himself from laughing at the turn of events. "Mike and Noah still live in the little cottage. Sam moved out though. Living with his girlfriend."

"It's time one of those boys has a serious relationship. I've got to meet this woman and tell her she's one lucky girl to have found a way into that amazingly wonderful young man's heart."

Addie could feel her face reddening. And Jackson couldn't keep it in any longer. He let out the laugh.

"What's so funny?" Helen asked. She then noticed Addison's expression. "Oh my…"

Between laughs, Jackson managed to keep control, to explain to his mother what she had just done. "He and Addie have been dating for five months now. And yes, it's the first time he's been in this serious of a relationship."

Helen looked back over to Addie, her own cheeks heading towards red. "I'm so sorry. I didn't realize. I mean, what were the chances?"

Addie smiled. "It's… it's okay."

Helen smiled back. "You'll have to tell Sam that I've still got that big mouth of mine."

Jackson laughed. "They've missed you mom. We all have."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Meredith and Derek were now cuddled in bed, on the verge of falling asleep. It was still quite early, but Meredith had had an exhausting day, and Derek knew it, so he didn't want to keep her up.

"I can't sleep," she mumbled as she turned towards him. Derek smiled his McDreamy smile and gave her a quick kiss.

"You're exhausted but you can't sleep," he said, in a mocking tone. "That sounds like a Meredith type of situation."

Meredith hit him. "You're son is keeping me up," she added with a pout.

Derek laughed at her childish pout. "I'm sorry," he apologized. "And I thought they were _our _children?"

"They are when they're behaving. They're yours when they're keeping me up."

Derek wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, so that she could cuddle in his chest. He then remembered that today had been Meredith's first work day in a long time.

"Hey, you didn't tell me how your first day back was."

Meredith looked up. "It didn't feel like my first day back."

"It just all comes back naturally, doesn't it?"

Meredith nodded. "Two surgeries, charts, getting to see everyone in their scrubs again…" She then remembered her interesting meeting with the newest Seattle Grace doctor. "Everything was the same, except for the new guy."

Derek looked intrigued. "You met him?"

Meredith nodded and giggled slightly. "Let's say he has already decided he wants to get to know me."

"What?" Derek didn't think he liked where this was going.

"I have a hot date with a Neurosurgeon tomorrow."

Derek was taken by surprise. "Meredith, what … what…?"

Meredith giggled. "You should see your expression right now. It's priceless."

Derek was dumbstruck. Did his wife just say she had a date with another man. A _hot date_ to be precise? "Meredith, you're not going anywhere with that man. I'm not letting you go anywhere other than the OR with him. I don't care if it's just for fun. I don't trust him with you."

Meredith liked jealous Derek. "And why not? What is it about him that makes you not trust him?"

Derek shook his head, but Meredith saw the small smile build on the edge of his lips. "He reminds me too much of me."

Meredith giggled. "Don't worry about him. I've already got a hot Neurosurgeon I'm much more interested in."

Derek didn't get it. "Who?" he asked pained, and angry. He still wasn't over Meredith's date tomorrow night.

Meredith laughed. "You're an idiot sometimes."

Derek caught on. "Oh, you were talking about me."

Meredith smiled as she continued to giggle. "There's only one person for me, only one McDreamy in my life."

Derek kissed her as he thought about how he was the luckiest man on the earth. He couldn't imagine sharing his life with any other woman than the one falling asleep in his arms.


	39. More than just you

**Disclaimer: I do not own Grey's Anatomy, but if I did, Mark and Lexie would make it through everything and there would be much more MerDer... just saying.**

**Okay, so I want to apologize first of all for not replying to any of your reviews. The link wasn't working properly for a while and I never did get the chance to get to it once I discovered the problem. I want to thank everyone who did review. They make writting a little more enjoyable, along with putting a smile on my face.**

**So this is sort of a filler up... McCocky scene (: Anyway, I hope you all enjoy and review !**

"Derek, could you do me a favor?" Meredith asked as they walked into the lobby of the hospital together on another rainy Seattle morning.

"Anything, you know that," he answered with a smile.

"Tell him I can't go out with him."

Derek laughed. He had gotten over his jealous spill from the night before. Now he found it funny. "I feel bad for you right now."

Meredith looked up with a glare. "You're enjoying this?" she asked, incredulous.

"I think it's time you find a new specialty."

Meredith grunted and crossed her arms on her chest. "But I'm in love with Neuro."

Derek shook his head. "No, you're in love with the Neurosurgeon."

Meredith shook her head. "I told you Derek, he asked me out and I just couldn't say no because he wouldn't let me finish and he thought I was your cousin and – "

He cut her off with a kiss. "Not that stupid Neurosurgeon. The much better looking one."

Meredith smiled as she whacked him in the shoulder. "There are other people on this elevator."

Derek looked around. There was no one. "What are you talking about?"

Meredith placed her hands on her stomach. "Our kids don't need to know you're full of yourself. I can just picture our son, 'McMiniDreamy'."

Derek just laughed as he also placed his hands on her stomach. "If he's going to be an amazing surgeon like his father someday, he'll need to learn how to be arrogant in the early ages."

"Like his father?" Meredith asked, pretending to be insulted. "And what about his mother?"

Derek didn't know where the hormones would come into action. He decided to play it safe. "You know you're an amazing surgeon too, it was just that I was comparing him to cocky me so I didn't – "

Meredith's giggles stopped his rant. "Derek, I know what you meant. I was pulling your leg."

Derek exhaled and Meredith wrapped her arms around his neck.

"So you'll talk to McCock… I mean Dr Lewis."

Derek smirked. "What did you call him?"

"It wasn't my idea," Meredith defended herself. "It's Cristina's thing, the McNicknames. She was talking about how stuck up the new guy seemed… McCocky."

Derek laughed full heartedly as he pulled his wife closer. "I'll make sure I tell him you're busy tonight."

Meredith smiled. "Thank you."

He kissed her. "Anytime."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Hey," Jackson greeted Cristina with a kiss as he walked into their apartment after his long boring night on-call. Not one surgical case all night, so he spent a good chunk of it with his mother, who eventually decided it was time to call it a night and headed to the Inn. He spent the other part of the night back in the tunnels with Lexie studying rings. Yes, rings. For three hours. He slept very little, but today he had the day off, so he was planning on being lazy and doing absolutely nothing.

Cristina was in the kitchen making coffee, still in her PJ's, and the morning greeting brought a smile to her face. _Changing,_ she reminded herself at the sudden change in attitude towards the corny little things. She also had the day off today, and she decided she'd bring up the 'Jackson's mom's here' topic before he suggested they do something with her.

"Hey," she replied once he had pulled back. She grabbed her coffee and headed towards the couch in the living room, and Jackson did the same. "How was your night?" she asked.

"Slow," he answered as he pulled her against him. "I got to catch up with my mom though."

Cristina nodded. "About that, I – "

Jackson laughed. "I figured it wouldn't be long until you voiced your opinion on this."

Cristina glared, but continued. "I wanted you to know that I am willing to get to know her and to let her get to know me, on one condition."

Jackson nodded. "Anything." He hadn't expected that to be what Cristina was going to say. He was more prepared for something like 'I don't do mom's' or 'I'm sleeping at Meredith's until she leaves.' But to hear that she was willing to get to know her, nothing would stop him from getting his two favorite women to be friends.

"You tell me that what we have is real, that we are really going somewhere with this."

Shock times two. This was NOT what he was expecting at all. This was not Cristina in front of him. This was an imposter. One he had fallen even more in love with. "Of course this is going somewhere. You're it for me Cristina Yang, and I hope I'm all you need for the rest of your life."

Cristina looked up, and Jackson saw something in her eyes that he wasn't used to seeing. She looked... nervous? "To be honest, I don't think … I don't think you're all I need … for the rest of my life."

Jackson felt his heart break in two. She just agreed to meeting his mom, like actually meet his mom, now she was saying she needed more than him? He didn't know what to do. Was this leading up to the end of their relationship?

"Wha…what? What… what do you mean?"

Cristina couldn't meet his eye. She didn't know where this was coming from, but she needed to get this out before things went any further. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and Meredith and I talked a lot last night, and I realized something I never realized before."

Jackson didn't think he could handle her saying that she didn't think he was right for her, that she thought she realized they just couldn't go on. He was so sure…

"I've been thinking… Jackson… have you ever thought about… kids?"

Jackson was sure he was hearing things. He couldn't have heard that right. Did she just say… "Kids?"

Cristina looked up slowly, and when she noticed the expression on his face, she took it as a bad sign. "I mean, if you don't want kids, then that's fine, but I realized that maybe… maybe I do want to be a mother, and it could be… fun. Amazing even. Cristina Yang, mom."

Jackson changed his expression as quickly as he could as to not give her false signs. "Of course, I've thought of kids, and how much I'd love to be a father, but I didn't think… I didn't think you'd want to be a mom, so I pushed the idea aside… but now…"

"It's just, you seemed almost… petrified…"

Jackson nodded. "I was, when you started your speech, or whatever. I thought you were going to break up with me…"

Cristina shook her head. "Never," she smirked.

"…I just didn't see the whole kids thing coming," he finished. "Even less than I would have if I hadn't of been thinking of you breaking up with me."

Cristina smiled. "So kids, it's a possibility?"

Jackson nodded as he pulled Cristina closer. "As long as you want it, it's a very likely possibility."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Are we really ready for this?" Addison asked as she held the adoption papers in her hands, ready to be signed. It had seemed like such a good idea when she and Sam had discussed it over a month before, but now that everything was beginning to be so real, she started having doubts that they were ready for this.

"We're as ready as we'll ever be," Sam said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and faced the pile of papers that just needed to be signed.

"A month," Addie said. "Usually it takes years to find a baby to be adopted. Three months is all it took. Three months. I thought we'd have more time…"

Sam kissed her on the crown of her head. "Addie, calm down. We still have a little over a month. We'll be ready."

"I'm an obstetrician for crying out loud. I see moms' everyday who say they're not ready, and I assure them they are. Why can't I assure myself?"

"It's scary," Sam admitted. "But as long as we're together, we can get through this. We're a team, from now on."

Addie nodded. "A team."

He grabbed the pen beside the pile of papers and passed it to Addie, giving her other hand a tight squeeze.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready," she nodded as she made their decision official.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek was thinking about how much fun he was going to have with breaking the news to Malcolm Lewis when there was a knock at his office door. Sure it was him, he invited his guest in.

"Richard?" he said as his guest was in the end not who he was expecting, and secretly hoping it was.

"You sound like you were expecting someone else," he said, curiously.

"I am," Derek admitted which bumped up Richard's curiosity. "I have a meeting with Dr Lewis."

"Is it bad?" Richard asked. "Are you firing him already?"

"No…" Derek answered hesitantly. "Should I be thinking about it?"

"I don't know, I was asking you."

Derek shook his head. "Anyway, our meeting has nothing to do with surgical matter."

Richard was officially confused. "Then what?"

"He has asked out a member of staff and that person has asked me to talk to him."

"And you're going to? Because one of your employees asked you to?"

"This employee is able to make me do anything she wants me to and her pregnant hormones don't help my situation in any way," Derek answered with chuckle.

"The new guy asked out Meredith?"

Derek nodded and laughed. "She has this way with brain surgeons."

Richard wasn't usually one for gossip, but this was good. "Has he not figured out the connection?"

"Apparently not," Derek answered. "But I can't wait to see the look on his face when he learns that he just asked out his boss's wife."

Richard chuckled. "Oh, I'm here to tell you that Adele has invited you and Meredith over for supper tonight. It's been a while and she misses Meredith, and you too I guess."

Derek laughed. "I'll be there, but if this meeting doesn't go well, Meredith has a date tonight."

Richard laughed. "It's good to see you can laugh about it."

Derek nodded. "Jealous stage happened last night, don't worry."

Richard left with a wave and when he crossed Dr Lewis on the catwalk, he couldn't help but smile at what the poor doctor was about to go through.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I can't believe it!" Izzie squealed over the phone. "This is unbelievable!"

Meredith laughed. "Izzie, you need to calm down. I know you're excited, I am too, but breathe! I'm sure you remember what that is."

Izzie let out a soft giggle. "I know, I know, but this is so exciting! All our hard work Meredith! It's about to really pay off!"

"I know," Meredith breathed. "I can't believe we made it through all of this."

"In three days, we'll be unveiling all of our hard work. Who knew it could go by so fast?"

"We've been working on this for almost two months now. It wasn't like we needed to find a place. Just the money and the material. And you get most of the credit Iz. This is your baby."

Izzie laughed. "My baby is a home for single and young mothers. I'm well over young and I'm married. This isn't quite right."

Meredith laughed too. "You know what I meant."

"Of course I do. It can be your godchild though."

"Okay then. Have you told anybody about the name?" Meredith suddenly asked.

"Nope. You?"

"No, nobody knows."

Izzie smiled, even though she was on the phone. "It's going to be great. You've invited everyone to come, right?"

"Yup," Meredith assured Izzie that everyone she had thought of would be there.

"And you've talked to Elisabeth about being the spokesperson?"

Meredith giggled. "You worry too much. Is this what you were like while organizing our wedding?"

"No," Izzie admitted. "I was way worse."

Meredith laughed. "Glad I wasn't involved."

"Saturday," Izzie said, calming down. "Saturday is going to be here in no time."

"I know," Meredith said.

"You have the day off, right?"

"Relax Izzie!" Meredith ordered. "I have the day before and the day of off. So does Addie. She's going to help out with the final touches."

"Good good…" Izzie said, and Meredith swore she heard a pencil and a piece of paper.

"Don't get sick with excitement, worry, panic or sleep deprivation. I need you."

"Haha Meredith. I'll be there."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Good morning Dr Lewis," Derek greeted as his awaited guest arrived. "Why don't you take a seat?"

Malcolm sat in the chair facing Derek and seemed a little bit nervous. Derek hid the smile and waited until he seemed comfortable before warming him up.

"So, is Seattle Grace fitting your standards? Are you enjoying it here?"

Malcolm nodded. "It really is great. The doctors seem so friendly and everyone seems to know everyone by first name basis."

Derek nodded. "Seattle Grace has its own little families here. Everyone seems to have found a few people here and there to make their own little families out of."

"It's nothing like the other hospitals I've worked at. Everyone seemed so, cold. Very few friendship bonds and even less family like ties like the ones I've seen here."

Derek nodded. "It is really a great place. Especially for the doctors with families. Their kids are all known by different doctors and the daycare makes it so much more family friendly."

Malcolm nodded. "I really do like it. I hope I'm not here because I'm getting fired. That would really be disappointing."

Derek laughed. "No, I'm not firing you. I'm actually here to talk about something you may have done yesterday."

Malcolm arched his eyebrow, not too sure where this was going.

"It seems you may have found in interest in one of your fellow surgeons, Meredith Shepherd?"

"She seems very nice and from what I've heard she is. I wanted to see if I'd get a chance to find out for myself." He paused than thought of something. "Is it not allowed to be dating fellow surgeons?"

"It was very frowned upon not too long ago, but everyone's been more open to it lately. There are actually a lot of relationships between surgeons. Except I'm warning you now, you should try to avoid the married ones."

Malcolm's eyes bulged a little. "Crap, she's married?"

Derek nodded and had to hold in his laughter. "She is."

"Crap, her husband is going to beat the crap out of me. Do you know if he knows?"

"Yes, he does."

Malcolm got up from his seat and started pacing. "If I had known, I wouldn't have asked. I mean, I didn't give her much of a chance to turn me down, but that was because I wanted a chance, not realizing she was married. But I checked her hand. And there were no rings, so I thought I was safe."

"She had just gotten out of surgery," Derek explained. "She usually forgets to put her rings back on." Derek was having a ball. Who knew it could have been this fun?

"Do you know her husband? Is he the type that will beat the crap out of me for making a move on his wife?"

Derek laughed. "I know her husband quite well, and I think he's having more fun with this than he is mad."

"What…" his gaze caught something. Derek couldn't see what he had spotted, but he looked up. "Dr Meredith Shepherd… Shepherd… she's not a cousin or a coincidence…" Malcolm was staring at the picture on Derek's desk that had been pushed so it was facing almost away from Derek, and towards him. It was one of the many pictures taken at their wedding.

Derek smiled. "She's my wife."

Malcolm looked up, petrified. "Holy crap, this is not good. I am so sorry, if I had known I – "

Derek cut him off. "Stop." He instructed. He could see the panic in Dr Lewis's eyes. "You've shown me that you are sincerely sorry. Don't worry about it. This won't affect your job at all, other than it will be quite awkward working with her now," Derek added with a laugh. "She seems to have this way to reel in brain surgeons. You're not the first, obviously. But she's a great friend too. I hope this doesn't keep you away from getting to know her. As friends."

Malcolm couldn't believe it. "You're not going to kill me?"

Derek laughed. "That would be a waste of a perfectly good neurosurgeon."

Malcolm still couldn't believe his luck. "Any other husband would have killed me. And you're here encouraging building a friendship. Don't take this insultingly, but what's wrong with you?"

Derek laughed. "Seattle Grace is a very friendly hospital. Or it is now. I've just been sucked into its hypnotic trance and decided I'd make everyone friends with everyone. Welcome aboard, Dr Lewis."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"We've been invited to Richard and Adele's for supper," Jackson informed Cristina as he hung up the phone. "I asked if I'd be able to invite an extra guest. Adele said it was fine. I can't wait to see the look on her face when I bring in my mom."

Cristina didn't know the story. This intrigued her. "Why?"

"They were roommates in college," he explained. He told her the story he had heard from Adele a few months back that his mom had repeated the night before. "They used to be best friends, but it sort of just blew off with the years."

"Does your mom know she has supper plans?"

Jackson had a hopeful look in his eye. "Actually, I was wondering if you'd be willing to do lunch with us today. I was going to tell her then. You said you wanted to get to know her…"

Cristina seemed nervous, but she nodded. "Sure, why not."

Jackson smiled and left her with a quick kiss. He went to get changed and called his mom to ask her if she was busy for lunch and when she agreed to going out with them, Jackson gave her directions to a small diner close by.

"Mom, over here," he said as he saw her walk in to the restaurant a few hours later. He and Cristina had gotten there just a few minutes before and were already seated, looking at the menu.

"Jackson, Cristina," she greeted them as she took a seat. "It looks like I'll get the chance to actually meet you," Helen said towards Cristina. "I was told you weren't really the 'meet the mom' type of girl."

Cristina glared at Jackson. But Jackson just laughed.

"Hey don't blame me. I know you've changed. Other people, they don't really believe it. Blame Addie."

Cristina looked back towards Helen. "I wasn't that girl, the 'find the perfect guy and live happily ever after'. Meredith and I, we were dark and twisty when we started our internship. But since she's gotten married, she's been bright and shiny, and so now I'm leaning towards bright and shiny too."

Helen smiled. "You seem like quite the delightful young woman. I'm glad you're discovering bright and shiny."

Jackson smiled as the two woman talked about the little things. Where they grew up, what their passions were, their childhood dreams. Then, when Helen moved on to the embarrassing stories, Jackson decided he'd interrupt.

"Hey, why don't we order?"

Both woman rolled their eyes and laughed. "She'll hear them eventually," Helen said, in a matter of fact tone of voice.

"I know, but could we wait until I know for a fact she won't run for the hills after hearing them?"

Cristina laughed. "I promise, I won't run for the hills. The stories can't be that bad, can they?"

Helen laughed. "Sure they can" was all she said.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Did you talk to him?" was the first thing that came out of Meredith's mouth when she invited herself into Derek's office.

Derek laughed. "I told you I would. Do you not trust me?"

"So you did?"

"I did."

"And how did he react?" she asked as she sat on his lap.

Derek couldn't help but let out a chuckle as he thought about the guy seeming petrified. "He was scared when he found out you were married, rambling about how your husband was going to kill him. He was petrified when he noticed this," he said as he picked up the wedding picture, "but I assured him I wasn't going to kill him and I encouraged him to get to know you as a friend, since you two will be working together, a lot."

"It's a good thing you don't get jealous then," Meredith said as she placed her hands on his chest. "I don't think I'd be able to specialize in Neuro if you were the jealous type."

Derek couldn't help but kiss her, with more force than she had expected.

"Derek," she said breathlessly. "Are you jealous?"

"I don't get jealous," he answered indifferent.

"Of course you don't."

Derek looked Meredith in the eye. "I trust you Mer, and I don't need to get jealous, because I know that no matter how hot any other guy -"

Meredith cut him off. "Did you just say hot?"

Derek rolled his eyes while Meredith giggled."... I know you'll love me no matter what. We're not like every other couple. We are going to accomplish amazing things is life."

Meredith smiled as she leaned in to kiss him again. "I love you," she said on his lips.

"I love you too."

Derek suddenly remembered what he was supposed to ask Meredith the night before, but forgotten about with everything else that had been going on. "Hey, I was thinking yesterday, about how little time we have left, until the babies are born, and it got me thinking about how we're not ready."

Meredith arched her eyebrows and gave Derek a worried look as she pulled away. "Not ready? Are you having doubts? Do you think I'm going to be a terrible mother Derek and you don't think I'm ready to have such a big responsibility? I thought this was going to work, even though it happened unexpectedly but I didn't think –"

Derek cut her off with a small chuckle. "Meredith, you're going to be an amazing mother, and I didn't mean not ready to be parents, I've been ready for half of my life, I meant ready, as in, we don't have the stuff we need… clothes, car seats, cribs, change tables…"

Meredith stopped her panicking. "Oh."

Derek smiled as he pulled her back into the warmth of his chest. "Yeah, oh."

"What about Sunday afternoon? We could start at least. I'm on-call after the unveiling of the mothers' home Saturday until Sunday at eleven. We could go shopping, the two of us. It could be fun."

Derek smiled as he kissed her. "Sounds good."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"I'm glad you guys could make it," Adele greeted Derek and Meredith as they walked into the kitchen. Addison was already in the kitchen helping Adele with supper and Sam and Richard were in the living room chatting away like old men.

"It's been a while," Meredith said as she gave the older woman a hug.

"How are the babies?"

"Babies are doing great," Meredith said with a smile. There hadn't been any problems since the surgery and other than the fact that none of them were growing very much, there were no concerns when it came to her and the babies health.

"I see the baby bump is showing," Adele said as she placed her hand on her stomach.

"It's small, but it's there," Addie said as she came up behind her. "How did things go with the new hotshot doctor?"

Meredith laughed. "Derek chased him off. I have a feeling he'll have a lot to say next time I see him. Apparently he wouldn't stop apologizing long enough for Derek to explain." Meredith then realized she hadn't told anybody but Cristina and Derek about him, and it looked like Adele also knew what she was talking about. "How did you guys know?"

"Richard told us," Adele admitted. "He was talking to Derek earlier and I guess that's he found out."

Just then, they heard the front door open and Adele rushed out to greet the last of their guests. But she couldn't help but let out a small gasp when she saw who Jackson's secret guest was.

"Helen," she said, and she rushed to give her old friend a hug. "It's great to see you. It's been so long."

"Adele," she said as she returned to hug. "When I was told you were living around here and that you had been involved in everyone's lives, I knew I had to see you and thank you for watching out for my son."

Adele smiled. "It's been wonderful having Jackson around. And it's great to see you two are speaking again. Jackson told us he wasn't talking to you."

Meredith and Addie had decided to go see what the commotion was.

"Helen," Meredith said with a smile. "It's good to see you again."

Helen looked over to the first person she met in Seattle. "It's good to see you too. And I hear that congratulations are in order."

Meredith giggled. "Thank you," she said with a smile. "How did you find out?"

"Jackson told me, when I had inquired about why you ran off so emotional yesterday. He told me it was probably because of the hormones. Are you okay, by the way?"

Meredith laughed. "It was a show, so that Jackson would go easier on you."

Helen laughed too. "Well you did a very good job."

Meredith was about to introduce Addie to Helen, but soon realized they had already met.

"So does Sam know I'm in town?" Helen asked Addie.

"You bet I do," he said as he came in behind them.

"Sam!" she exclaimed as she brought the young man into a motherly embrace.

"Helen?" she heard Richard ask in the background. She let go of Sam and went on to Richard.

"It's good to see you again Richard," she said with a smile.

"You too Helen."

"You and I need to have a talk later," she whispered to him so no one else could hear.

It was then that Meredith realized that everyone here knew Helen other than Derek, who was standing outside of the group of people, leaning against the entrance into the living room.

"Derek," she said as she grabbed his hand. "Meet Helen Avery, Jackson's mom."

Derek smiled as he shook her hand. "It's nice to meet you."

"Helen, this is my husband Derek Shepherd."

Helen smiled. "You're one lucky man to have this amazing young woman in your life."

Derek pulled Meredith closer to him. "Oh, don't I know it."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Everyone had a great time as they ate one of Adele's amazing suppers, something they had all sort of gotten used to. Adele, Richard and Sam spent a lot of their time catching up with Helen. Derek, Addie and Jackson were sort of just listening to all of their stories and adding little things here and there. However, Meredith and Cristina had decided to excuse themselves and went to find an isolated spot so they could talk, in private.

"I told him," Cristina said, not specifying what she was talking about. But Meredith knew.

"You did? How did he react?"

"He seemed petrified at first, but he said it was because he was sure I was breaking up with him."

"How did he get breaking up out of you telling him you want a family?"

Cristina shrugged. "I might have something to do with the way I said he wasn't all I needed to be happy."

Meredith laughed. "I can see how he got it wrong now."

"He says he's been thinking about kids too, and that it was a very strong possibility."

Meredith hugged her best friend. "That's amazing Cristina! You guys are so amazing together."

Cristina smiled. "Really?"

Meredith smiled too. "Really."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Once Helen had found a break in all of the chatter, she pulled Richard aside, wanting to give him a piece of her mind.

"You cheated on her Richard. You guys used to be so happy together, before you were married. What happened?"

Richard shook his head. "I don't know," he admitted. "Things just started getting more difficult. And I was always at the hospital. We almost got a divorce a few years back," he said slowly, trying to keep the pain out of his voice. "But things have gotten better in the last few months. We're happier than we have been in a very long time."

Helen just nodded. "I don't know how to be mad at you for what you did when it gave me such an amazing gift in return. Why does the bad always feel so good?"

Richard shook his head. "I wish I knew. If I did, then the bad could have been avoided from the beginning."

Helen shook her head. "You got Jackson out of it. And Adele seems to love him too, even in all the circumstances."

"He's great," Richard said with a smile. "He's everything I ever wanted in a son. He's the kid Adele and I couldn't have. But it's great to have him around. Did he tell you what had happened when he told me that I was his father?"

Helen shook her head. "No, he didn't, but I'd love to hear it."

Richard laughed. "It wasn't the greatest. Jackson had found out Meredith was his half sister before he found out I was his father. But there was an incident, and Jackson went all brotherly protective on Meredith. So when I found them like that, I didn't know what to think. But when he told me they had found out they were siblings, I knew exactly what that meant for me. I had a heart attack."

"What?" Helen exclaimed. "That's terrible! But you're okay, that's good, right?"

Richard laughed at Helen's reaction. "It was very minor. I had a few days in the hospital, and then I was able to go home. That's when Jackson and I had the chance to get to know each other. He came over anytime he had the day off. We really got to know each other, and my time away from the hospital also strengthened my relationship with Adele."

Helen smiled. "Why is the bad always so good?"

Richard smiled back. "Maybe the bad is meant to be a good thing in the end."

"Maybe it is."


	40. Hide and Seek

**Disclaimer: Not mine !**

**Okay, so first of all I apologize for the long wait. I could give you a list of excuses, but I won't... not this time P:**

**Also, I want to admit that I have been having writter's block. I'm at a chapter that I've been waiting so anxiously to write, and I'm stuck. So reviews and words of inspiration sure help (:**

**Finally, I want to say that what started as a story with about 20 chapters, my goal being to reach 100 000 words has now reached 40 chapters, over 200 000 words and nearly 300 reviews. It is also no where near being done. In celebration, I am posting chapter 2 of _Not So Strangers._ Be sure to check it out if you're reading, and if you're not already, it's not too late to start. I will be trying harder now to update it along with this one, but I can't make any promises. **

**Now, enjoy! **

"Dr Shepherd!"

Meredith was headed towards the locker room, ready to start her first twenty four hour shift since she was back when she heard the name she had finally become used to being called out.

When she turned around, she almost felt bad for the man standing in front of her. "Dr Lewis, I'm terribly sorry about the misunderstand – "

He cut her off. "You have nothing to be sorry for. I was the one who was out of line. I should have gotten to know everyone here a little bit better before making such a mistake. But I hope this doesn't affect your decision to having to work with me to be a Neurosurgeon."

Meredith smirked. "Not at all. My dreams aren't getting away on me that easily."

"Good then in that case, I need a resident on my case today," Malcolm said with a friendly smile.

"I'm in," Meredith said as he passed her the chart and started a brief update on the patients diagnosis.

"She has an aneurysm that has just been discovered and needs to be extracted within the next few days because she is around her due date and it will burst if she goes into labor before we – "

Meredith suddenly had a flashback of her surgeries with Addison just two days before.

"_Meredith, are you okay?" Addie asked as they were scrubbing into their second surgery, one that hadn't been planned, but due to an unexpected complication, needed to be done. Addison noticed the look on Meredith's face and couldn't quite place it._

"_I didn't realize how much this would affect me," she whispered almost to herself. "I guess I just didn't think operating on other pregnant woman would make me feel… how I feel."_

_Addie saw the pain in Meredith's eyes. She was imagining her babies' lives on the end of the line. "Meredith, if you don't think you can do it, you don't need to..."_

_Meredith thought about it, but shook her head lightly. "As surgeons, we need to face our fears. But I swear, this is the last time I'm operating with you until after the babies are born."_

_Addie nodded in agreement. "If at any time you don't think you can make it, warn me and you can go. I'll have another resident scrub in incase you happen to not be able to make it through._

"I… I don't think I can do it," Meredith said as she passed the chart back to the attending.

"Dr Shepherd? Are you okay? You don't look so well all of a sudden…"

Meredith shook her head. "I'm fine," she assured him, but he didn't know her definition of fine. "I just can't operate on… not again."

Dr Lewis didn't understand, not knowing about Meredith's pregnancy. Her baby bump was visible in her street clothes, but under the baggy scrubs, you could barely tell she had a belly.

"Not again?" he asked. "Is this a patient you've had before?"

Meredith shook her head. "I spent the day operating with Dr Montgomery just a few days back. I can't operate on expecting mothers, not now."

Malcolm didn't know how to react. "Dr Shepherd, I hope you don't mind me asking but, are you…?"

Meredith nodded as she placed a hand on her stomach. "Now you know why I can't operate?"

He nodded quickly. "You realize you just made me feel like more of an ass now. Not only did I ask out a married woman, but an expecting mother. It couldn't get much shallower than that."

Meredith laughed. "You followed your heart, but your heart was just on the wrong woman. I can't have an opinion on this. I was the one who dated the married man. We're in almost the same boat."

Malcolm's eyes shot out of his head. "Does your husband know about your relationship with this married man? Is that why he went soft on me?"

Meredith nodded with a giggle. "Oh he knows. He knew before me in fact."

"Huh?"

"He was the married man I went out with."

Malcolm couldn't believe this. "Married?" He didn't know his fellow doctors all that much, but he enjoyed getting to know them.

"Yeah, him and Dr Montgomery."

Malcolm's expression made Meredith burst into laughter.

"But they seem like such good friends. And you seem so close to Dr Montgomery. I don't get it…"

"Welcome to Seattle Grace. Nothing makes sense."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

This was how Derek had found Dr Lewis and his wife. Chatting like old time friends. His smile grew as he approached.

"It seems like the two of you have followed my advice and gotten to know each other."

Meredith nodded and smiled. "We realized we have more in common than we thought."

Derek was curious. "How so?"

"We both ended up picking the married ones."

Derek hadn't thought about it before, but he couldn't help but dwell on the thought that Meredith had in fact been with the married man without knowing it.

"Dr Shepherd? Derek?" his wife's voice snapped him out of his trance.

"Sorry," he apologized. "It's good to see that this incident hasn't put you two on bad terms."

Dr Lewis nodded. "We've put it behind us."

Derek smiled. "So I take it the two of you probably have a patient to get to."

Meredith smirked. "Dr Lewis does. I'm sitting this one out today."

Derek arched an eyebrow. He looked back and forth between the two doctors in front of him.

"Patient is nine months pregnant," Meredith said with an expression that only Derek could read. It was a mix of sadness and pain, with a little bit of worry.

"I completely understand" was all he said. "I don't want to keep you away from your patient any longer," Derek said to Dr Lewis. Once he was gone, Derek pulled Meredith to the closest on call room.

"Derek, what are you thinking?" Meredith asked as she took in his expression. "Does it have anything to do with the fact that I told Dr Lewis about you being married to Addison, or the fact that we have become friends, sort of, or is there something I'm not seeing…?"

Derek just kissed her quickly, softly and passionately. Not at all the kiss one would usually receive in an on-call room.

"Assure me that you are okay Meredith, that operating isn't too much on you."

"What?" she asked, confused.

"I knew the fact that operating with Addie would be a mistake, the hormone levels in you can't handle that, but assure me that operating isn't taking too much of a big step. You can take on work in the pit, or at the clinic…"

Meredith smiled. "I'm okay, just as long as I'm not with Addison or Arizona. Babies and kids make me too emotional right now."

Derek smiled slightly at the fact that how just a few years before, this would not have been the reaction Meredith would have had, but he was still worried. "Are you sure?"

Meredith nodded. "As long as the patient is over eighteen, I'm sure I'll be fine."

"In that case, you're on my service today."

Meredith arched an eyebrow. "Derek, I hate to break it to you, but you don't need a resident in office work."

"I'm still a surgeon," Derek reminded her. "I still have patients who come for me."

Meredith kissed him quickly as Derek gave her an overview of his patient.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Seriously Amy?"

"You need a honeymoon Lexie. There's no way you can't go on a honeymoon."

Lexie smirked. "Derek and Meredith didn't."

"Derek and Meredith didn't even know they were getting married. Plus Meredith was pregnant."

"What makes you think I'm not pregnant?"

Amy looked shocked. "Are you?"

Lexie laughed. "No, but that's not the point. A honeymoon…"

"If it's time off you're worried about, Derek's the chief. Your fiancé's brother. Your sister's husband. You'll get the time off."

"But it's expensive, and I mean, we're already paying for all the stuff for the wedding. A honeymoon on top of that?"

"It doesn't need to be big. Besides, for Mark, paying for a honeymoon is like a school teacher bringing her kids to the waterpark for the day. He's a world renown plastic surgeon. He's as filthy rich as Derek."

Lexie laughed. "I'll talk to him about it."

"Talk to whom about what?" a voice said behind her just as strong arms wrapped around her waist.

"Lexie and I were discussing a honeymoon," Amy said with a smile on her face.

"No, Amy was trying to convince me that we needed a honeymoon."

Mark laughed. "Isn't a honeymoon for newlyweds? Don't you think the two of you on a honeymoon would be kinda…" Mark laughed.

"Haha Mark," Amy said. "I meant for the two of you."

Mark smiled. "I know."

"So?" Amy asked. "Have you thought about it?"

"Maybe."

Lexie looked up at him. "You have?"

Mark shrugged. "Slightly."

Just then Lexie's pager went off and she excused herself before running off.

"Amy, can you please not bring up the honeymoon thing again?" Mark asked once Lexie was out of earshot.

Amy was confused. "I thought you liked the idea of a honeymoon?"

"I love the idea of a honeymoon. But I don't want Lexie to find out that we are going on a honeymoon until the day of our wedding."

"What?"

"It's her gift, from me. A week in the Bahamas. It's only planned for the middle of February since the flights were easier to find then and time off was hard for right after the wedding, especially since I had to pull some strings so that all of our friends and family could have the wedding day off, but Derek gave Lex and I a week and a half off any time after the holidays before I had even started really planning a honeymoon."

Amy smiled brightly. "You're not as much of a jerk as you used to be. What happened to you?" She was expecting a snarky comment in return, but Mark just smiled.

"Lexie happened to me."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Since Jackson, Cristina and Richard were all working that day, and Adele had plans until later that afternoon, Helen decided to head to the Inn for the morning. When she had arrived there just a few nights before, there hadn't seemed to be much life. Thinking that maybe they had shut down for the season, she headed to a motel in town. When she had caught up with Sam just the night before, he assured her that they were in fact still open. So she took this perfect opportunity to visit the boys who had been like sons to her.

"The place hasn't changed at all," she said as she walked in, and Noah had the surprise of his life when he looked up from the front desk and spotted the woman who was taking in all of the beauty, for what must have been the one hundredth time, the Inn had to offer.

"Helen!" he exclaimed as he rushed over to embrace the woman he always knew as his second mom. "What on earth are doing all the way out here?"

"Can't a mom come out and visit her son, along with the people she loves most in the world?" she said with a smile. "Now where's that brother of yours?"

Noah laughed. "I have two brothers, remember?"

"I know, I know, but I also know that one of them is no longer living here. It's time you all find yourselves women like the one Sam has found."

"You've met Addie?" Noah asked.

Helen nodded. "She seems very sweet. Perfect for Sam. And he seems so happy with her."

"You've seen Sam already?"

They were headed towards the small chalet that was Noah and Mike's home. Helen absolutely loved everything about the Inn, including the long winding paths through the woods all over the land.

"Yes, he was at Richard and Adele's last night for supper."

"So we're pretty much the last ones to know you're here?"

Helen laughed. "Yeah pretty much."

Noah walked into the house first and invited Helen in. When they entered the living room, they found Mike reading on the couch.

"Hey look who I found wondering the lobby."

Mike looked up from his book and he smiled brightly as he recognized their guest.

"Helen! It's great to see you again."

The three of them spent so much time catching up, talking about the past that they all lost complete track of time.

"Oh dear, I'm supposed to be meeting Adele for coffee in half an hour." She got up and grabbed her jacket and her purse and gave both boys quick hugs. "It was great to see you two again."

Mike stopped her before leaving. "Where are you staying?"

Helen smiled when she knew where this was going. "I was staying at a motel in town, but I'm guessing that that would no longer be permitted?"

Noah laughed. "You know us too well."

"I'll be back tonight."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I missed this," Meredith said as she and Derek were scrubbing out. They had had a very successful surgery, and Meredith couldn't wipe away the smile on her face.

"Surgery?" Derek asked confused.

"No, not just surgery. Surgeries with you. We used to be such a good team, inside the OR more than outside. Now it seems like the world has shifted. But I saw today that we're a perfect team, period."

Derek smiled as he leaned over and kissed his wife. "I remember when you wouldn't let me do this to you in public."

Meredith giggled. "Boy was that a mistake."

Derek wrapped his arms around her waist. "And yes, we do make quite the team. We'll never lose that."

Meredith nodded and Derek saw the shimmer in her eyes. He grabbed her hand in his and led her towards the exit of the scrub room. She didn't let go when they reached the elevator and they were where everyone could see them. Meredith didn't care. She was happy and nothing could ruin that.

Once they were on the elevator, Derek let go of her hand, and Meredith didn't understand why.

"Derek…"

He smiled and reached into the pocket on her scrubs and pulled out the two objects he had just discovered were missing.

"I'm putting these back where they belong," he explained as he slid the wedding band down her finger. He was about to put his mother's engagement ring in its place when the elevator door opened and a gurney was pushed on. The nurse who was pushing the patient's expression went from saddened, to panicked when she noticed the other occupants of the elevator car.

"Chief Shepherd… I … I…"

Meredith noticed the patient and was out of the car in a flash, before Derek even had a chance to question what was happening. He was too preoccupied in making sure he didn't lose Meredith from his sight that he didn't even bother to look back at the patient.

"Meredith!" he called out.

But Meredith had disappeared in the wave of blue scrubs. And Derek didn't know where to start looking.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Karev, you know you're an idiot sometimes right?" Jackson said with a laugh as Alex told them about the mistake he had made while treating his patient that morning. It hadn't been anything to drastic, a life wasn't lost, but the patient packed his bags and went to find another doctor somewhere else. And nobody was letting his live this incident down.

"Sometimes?" Cristina added with a snort. "I was pretty sure he just was an idiot."

Lexie laughed. "Come on, he's not always that bad…" she tried defending him, but it didn't work. "Okay fine, he can be an idiot most of the time."

"Would you guys stop talking about me as if I wasn't here?"

The other three just laughed.

"Hey, whatever happened to Meredith? She used to be part of this group at one point."

Alex nodded at Cristina's point. "I saw her scrubbing in with Dr Shepherd this morning, but haven't seen her since."

"I saw Derek on my way here," Lexie started, "but he told me he was looking for her. He thought she was probably with Cristina."

Cristina shrugged. "I haven't seen her all day."

"Did he say anything else?" Jackson asked, starting to worry.

"Something about a patient… he didn't know who the patient was, but whoever it was scared Meredith off."

The four of them had fear stricken expressions.

"We need to find her," Cristina spoke what everyone was thinking.

The three others nodded, gathered their stuff and headed off in search of their friend.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Have you seen Meredith?" Derek asked Richard when he met him in the cafeteria, still in search for his missing wife."

"No, has she gone missing?"

Derek shrugged. "It seems like she has. I mean, it's probably nothing, but, I still worry."

"It's your job to worry Derek. You wouldn't be you if you didn't worry."

Derek was puzzled. "Is that a good thing?"

Richard laughed. "It can be, just like it can be a bad thing. Depends on the extent of it."

"It doesn't help with the fact that I can't find her."

"Find who?" Preston asked as he overheard the end of Derek's sentence. "I mean, is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's just, I can't find Meredith. She sort of just ran off earlier today, and now I don't know where to find her."

"Have you tried calling her?" Richard asked.

"Yes, but she's not answering."

"What scared her off in the first place?" Preston asked.

"I don't know," Derek admitted.

"I'm sure it's all going to be fine. She can't be far…" Preston trailed off as he read the panicked expression on both men's faces. "That's not helping."

"The last time she disappeared, she ended up in New York," Derek pointed out. "She could be anywhere."

Richard tried getting some reason into Derek's head. "She also felt terrible after the fact and promised you she wouldn't do it again. She didn't run Derek, I can feel it."

Derek nodded. "I sure hope you are right."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Dr Lewis," Mark greeted the surgeon he had only met a few times before. It had only been a little over a week since he had started working here, and Plastics and Neuro didn't work all that often together, so he hadn't had the chance to really get to know the new guy. But last he heard, he was already trying to fit in.

"Dr Sloan," Malcolm replied with a friendly smile. "How can I help you?"

"I heard a rumor," Mark said with a smile. "Something about you asking Meredith Grey on a date?" he paused, remembering the fact that Dr Lewis never knew Meredith as a Grey. "Meredith Shepherd, sorry."

Malcolm shook his head. "I will never stop regretting the mistake I made. I apologized to both her and Chief Shepherd."

Mark laughed. "I like you. You're not afraid."

Malcolm laughed back. "I am now. I've heard rumors about Seattle Grace's love traps, but I never did realize to what extent the rumors were true. This place is full of crazy ties."

"You have no idea."

"I just know one thing; I'm not going to get stuck in it," Malcolm said with a shake of his head.

Mark smirked. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. You usually don't have much of a choice. It usually just happens."

"I take it you speak from experience?" Malcolm seemed curious, and he enjoyed getting to know his colleagues better, since they all seemed to be so social to begin with, it made things easier.

Mark laughed. "Dr Shepherd and I have been like brothers since we were kids. We were always really close. And his sisters and his mother used to joke about how it would be funny if we ended up dating sisters, since the whole brother thing. Anyway, I'm engaged to Meredith's little sister, Dr Grey, Lexie."

Malcolm nodded. "Still, I'm not getting involved. I'm staying out of it."

"Good luck with that," Mark answered as he walked away, laughing at all the possibilities his situation had to offer.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"This is nice," Helen said as she and Adele sipped their coffees and ate their desserts at one of the local café's. "It's incredible to think about what is linking us back together."

Adele smiled. "I didn't know what to think, when I had guessed oh so many years ago about your son's true identity. But since I've gotten to know him, I realize that it doesn't matter where he came from. It's who he is that matters. And you've had a major part in creating his image. Ellis Grey has nothing to do with who he is."

Helen nodded. "I still can't believe Richard knew nothing, not even that he had a son somewhere out there."

"I still can't believe Ellis didn't use that to lure him back to her. I never understood that woman, or what my husband saw in her, but there must have been something I guess."

"You and Richard would have made amazing parents."

Adele sighed. "I did end up pregnant, not too long ago actually, but I lost the baby."

Helen put a reassuring hand on her old friend's shoulder. "You can have Jackson anytime you'd like."

Adele looked up and smiled. "I know, I've sort of already claimed him as my own."

Helen laughed. "He's quite the kid. And I see a lot of him in Meredith."

Adele nodded. "They've gotten to know each other so well since they found out about their family ties that you'd think they grew up siblings."

"Meredith seems so strong though, whereas Jackson isn't nearly as strong as she is."

"Meredith had to learn how to be strong when she was just a little girl. She's had plenty of years of experience," Adele said sadly. "Jackson is lucky to have had the chance Meredith didn't."

Helen seemed to agree silently with her friend. "I wish there was something I could do for her, to make things easier."

Adele smiled. "I have a feeling her life is pretty good right now, other than with the pregnancy issues." Helen already knew about these. She had heard from Jackson that she had been having some complications, but that everything seemed to be okay for the moment. "She has a husband that adores her, an amazing family composed by all the people who would do anything to protect her and friends that love her and keep her going through life."

"How does she do it? Stay so strong?"

Adele shook her head. "That, I have no idea."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Addison didn't know what hit her when she was handed a chart for her newest patient. She didn't need to read the case to know she wouldn't be able to do anything. She only needed to read the name to know that emotionally, she couldn't do anything. Medically, maybe, but she already knew there was no way she was operating on this patient.

She handed the chart back to the nurse who almost gave her an understanding look, as if knowing her reasons for turning down the case. She needed to walk away from this. She was just another patient. One that Addie was not going to go near for the length of her stay at the hospital, for her own sanity as much as for the patient's safety.

But she needed to warn Meredith. Derek too, of course, but forewarning Meredith was more important in this case.

As she was about to start her quest for Meredith, her pager brought her mind back to the medical part of her life, but as she looked at the page, she knew she was about to find the person she was in fact looking for.

"Meredith, are you okay?" she asked as she walked into the on-call room and noticed a very run down, beat out, panic stricken Meredith.

Meredith didn't answer. She just shook her head negatively.

Addie rushed to her side and turned into the doctor, rather than what Meredith had been looking for. She needed to confide in her, not get a medical test done.

"Addie, I'm fine physically," she whispered as Addie stopped asking questions about if there was pain, or if she was feeling light headed.

Addison looked down into Meredith eyes and noticed the pain. She sat on the edge of the bed and put a reassuring hand on her friend's shoulder.

"You need to calm down if you want to stay physically healthy. The babies can't handle stress right now. Start by breathing."

Meredith let out the breaths that seemed to have been chocked up in her throat to Addie's delight.

"Good, now you need to get whatever has put you in this state off of your chest."

Meredith nodded. "She's here. In the hospital. She's... she's back."

**...**


	41. Nurses and homes

"_She's here. In the hospital. Rose is back."_

Addie should have put two and two together and guessed that this was about.

"I know," she said, quietly.

"I don't know why, but she's here, as a patient."

Addie answered quietly again. "I know why."

Meredith sat up and looked at the person who could tell her what she was looking for.

"I can't tell you, specifically because there have been no tests, but she's on the verge of miscarrying if somebody doesn't do something soon."

Meredith nodded and Addie saw a hint of sadness in the back of her eyes. She had gone soft on all subjects revolving pregnancy, babies and kids. Not at all the person Addie had known when she first came to Seattle.

"Are you going to operate?"

Addie shook her head. "I don't think so. For her safety, I think it would be better if I stayed as far away as possible from her."

Meredith cracked a small smile and Addie returned it. The two women sat there in comfortable silence, not at all the relationship they thought they'd end up with.

"I know I'm supposed to hate her and all because she has been trying to steal my husband, but I can't hate her right now Addie. Not with what she is going through."

Addie nodded. "It's the hormones Meredith. And the fact that you have a heart. I just don't think I have the emotional strength the help her right now. Especially with all the pain she has caused you."

"And if you don't do anything, she will lose the baby," Meredith whispered sadly.

"I'm sorry," Addison apologized. But she didn't need to. Meredith understood.

"I hope things end up okay for her, I guess, in the end."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Addison, this isn't like you, refusing to do anything for a patient. If you can help her, you need to help her."

Addie was now in the chief's office, Derek reprimanding her after learning that she had refused to care for a patient with a case she could have fixed.

"Derek, you don't get it," she tried arguing.

"Don't get it?" Derek sounded mad. "You're making the hospital look bad. We don't turn our backs on patient care."

"Derek, put yourself in my shoes. I know the patient. I know her, and it's not a grudge, but we have a bad history. I don't think I'll be able to operate to my fullest potential if something were to go wrong in surgery. She would lose her life, not just the baby if things were to turn wrong, and not because medically I couldn't do anything else, but I wouldn't have the heart or the energy to do it for her." When she thought about what she said, she wanted to hit herself. That was not how she had wanted it to come out. "I'm afraid I won't try as hard because of the history between us," she tried instead.

"I wasn't too fond of your brother, but I operated on him and did my hardest to save his life, even if we hadn't been the greatest of friends in the past."

Addie shook her head. "You and Archer could at least stand each other. You would talk about things like current events or the latest sports game. My patient isn't quite the same." Addie was avoiding mentioning Rose's name. Derek didn't need to know who the patient was if it could be avoided. But it was getting to a point where she might need to break it to him that the one person he never wanted to see again needed their help. Worst case scenario, she would have to bring Meredith into the situation just to soften up the man in front of her.

"And why not? And what do you suggest we do?"

"We could transfer her to Seattle Presbyterian. They have a very good Neo-Natal surgeon there."

Derek gave Addison the look he reserved for when he was mad, furious even. "Addison! I've never seen you like this before! What is it that is keeping you from saving this child's life?"

Addie didn't want it to come to this, but she had no choice. "This baby was said to have been yours. Rumors spread like wildfire when Meredith had disappeared, and everyone had believed it when they heard you had conceived a child with –"

Derek cut her off. "Oh God. Oh no no no …. Does Meredith know?"

Addison finally relaxed. "She knew about the rumors before you, and yes, she knows Rose is here."

Derek put his fingers on his temples and rubbed his head as he thought about Meredith's disappearing that morning on the elevator. "She saw her … this morning on the elevator… that's who it was."

Addie put her hand on top of his. "I'm sorry I can't do anything…"

Derek shook his head. "No, it's okay. I understand. I will personally explain to her that we need to transfer her to another hospital."

Addie shook her head. "No Derek, I'm the one who refused to perform surgery, I'll talk to her."

Derek smirked. "Can I trust you within ten feet of her?"

She slapped his hand and crossed her arms on her chest. "You're not very nice."

Derek laughed, but soon washed away all of the humor in the situation. "We'll go together."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I have a pretty good idea why Meredith has suddenly disappeared," Alex said to Cristina when he spotted her in the hallway.

"Okay let's hear it," she said, not paying much attention to him.

"Well, I'm on Dr Montgomery's service today, but she turned down her only surgery of the day, so I'm now on scut –"

"What does this have to do with Meredith?"

"The patient Addison turned down was Rose," Alex whispered.

"What?" Cristina exclaimed.

"Last I heard, they're sending her to Seattle Pres, but she's here, in the hospital, as a patient and Addison and Derek basically decide what's going to happen to her. Karma sucks for her."

Cristina nodded. "Big time."

"From now on I'm going to make sure I learn not to piss off my superiors. They might end up deciding whether I live or die someday."

Cristina nodded as she thought about how true his statement was.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek didn't like what he was about to do. He didn't want to have to see her, let alone speak to her ever again. Luckily, Addison was at his side and they would do it together. Also, if either of them had the urge to do something they would regret later to her, the other one would surely stop them.

"Are you ready?" Derek asked as Addison approached their patient's room.

Addie nodded. "Ready."

Derek opened the door and walked in first. He noticed how pale Rose was, but when she looked up and saw who was entering, her cheeks changed from almost white, to slightly red. She was as uncomfortable as were the two doctors standing in front of her.

"Rose Williams, 34, uterine malformation," the intern presented automatically once she saw the doctors enter.

"Thank you," Derek said. "Could we speak to the patient privately?"

The intern nodded and rushed out as fast as she could. She wasn't dumb. She had heard and even seen what was going on between half of the surgeons and the nurse. She didn't want to have anything to do with any of it.

There was an uncomfortable silence and Derek cleared his throat.

"We have decided it is your best interest to have you transferred to Seattle Presbyterian. An ambulance will be here in not too long to transport you there."

Rose just scoffed. "Dr Montgomery scared she'll kill me "by accident"?"

Addie used all the strength she could not to pounce on her and strangle her in that very moment. She tried her best to stay calm, untouched by the patient's comment, but Rose knew she had hit a nerve.

"No, not by accident? Afraid she'll want to kill me as soon as she opens me up."

"Rose, stop –" Derek tried ending the argument before it started, but he knew it was hopeless.

"It's too bad Dr Grey wasn't here too," Rose started. "We could have a party. But I'm sure you'd ruin all the fun before it even started, wouldn't you?" she asked Addison.

"What are you talking about?" Addie said with a snap.

"Well by attempting to kill me of course."

Addison took a deep breath. She needed to stay professional. "The reason we are sending you to Seattle Presbyterian is because Dr Shepherd and I have weighed our options and the advantages and disadvantage in both your case and in our case if we were to proceed with this procedure here. The disadvantage list was much longer."

"I'm sure the only advantage was the high failure rate you've had with this procedure before. It would be sure to kill my baby so then you wouldn't have to deal with me ever again."

Addison knew Rose was just trying to get to her head, but she took it to heart. She knew it wasn't true, about her failure rate, and Rose had no real way of knowing if it was true or not anyway, but she couldn't stand the idea of having to stand this close to the woman she'd confronted what seemed like forever ago because of the threats she was making on one of her very good friends. She had hurt Meredith, badly, and Addison couldn't think of anything else but the fact that she wanted to hurt her back. But she couldn't.

That's when Addie judged it best to leave the room before things got anymore out of hand.

"Yeah, that's it. Run away. I've heard you've never been great with solving problems."

Derek was mad. "Listen and listen good. You are a patient here. You respect any form of medical personnel that walks through those doors or else I'll make sure that your stay here, as short as it will be, will be a living hell. You never speak to someone who might end up having to save your life if something were to go wrong at this very moment because it will, and I mean it, come back and bite you in the ass. Do you know what keeps us going when us surgeons meet a complication in surgery? The thought of seeing our patient waking up with a smile on their faces. I honestly don't think that's the image Dr Montgomery would have of you at this moment."

"I-"

"I'm not done," Derek continued. "You need to realize that you're not alone in the world. Everything you do affects the people around you. You're about to lose your baby, sure, but that doesn't give you the right to be an ass. I know people who have been in situations similar to you, and they didn't even dare say anything to their doctors about the decisions they thought were best, because they were grateful they had doctors to take care of them."

"Ah what a pity," Rose said, full of sarcasm.

"I almost lost my first child partly because of you!" Derek basically yelled. "All the crap you put Meredith through pilled enough stress on her she almost miscarried! You don't have an opinion on what you're going through because you've already put someone else in the same situation. Karma sucks, doesn't it?"

Derek was proud of himself when Rose was to stunned by what he had said to reply. She was speechless.

"I'll send a nurse for you when the ambulance gets here."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Meredith had been heading to the nurse's station to get hers and Derek's patient's chart when Cristina caught her.

"Mer, are you okay?" her person asked worriedly.

"Yeah, why?"

Cristina looked at her incredulously. "You mean, you haven't heard?"

Meredith continued to walk. Cristina just followed her.

"About what?"

"About a patient, one that was submitted today, a patient Addie turned down…"

Meredith spun around and Cristina knew that by the expression on her face, she was aware of the unwanted nurse's presence.

"Of course I know Rose is here. But I'm over it. Addison can do what she wants to with her."

They reached the nurse's station just moments later, but noticed it was much more crowded than usual. And everyone seemed to be turned in the same direction. Something was up.

"What's going – "

"Shh!" she was cut off by one of the nurses. "We want to hear what's going –"

She stopped when the patient's door swung open and as soon as Meredith read the expression on Addison's face, she knew exactly what was going on.

"Looks like someone is about to kill the nurse," Cristina whispered to Meredith.

"Addison, what's going on?"

Addie approached them, then noticed all the starring nurses and doctors and decided this was not the best place to explain to Meredith what she had just left her husband to.

But she didn't need to. Meredith was about to learn for herself.

"Listen and listen good," Derek's voice was heard through the thin wall. He continued his rant this way and Meredith could tell the gossip mongrels behind her were just gobbling it all up. She listened to Derek through the wall too, but not for the same reasons as the nurses. She wanted to be able to help him if she could tell he needed it.

Meredith was definitely proud of Derek for standing up to her. Usually, he tried to be strong when it came to things like this, but in reality it was killing him. She knew she would have to do major damage control after this one. But he seemed to be handling things quite well. She was caught off guard though by what Derek had just started.

"I almost lost my first child partly because of you!" they could all hear Derek's voice perfectly well now. "All the crap you put Meredith through pilled enough stress on her she almost miscarried!"

The attention was quickly shifted from the patient room before them to the person being discussed behind those closed doors. Meredith could feel the heat rise in her and her emotions were about to get the best of her, but she couldn't do or say anything. _Nobody knew about that part,_ she reminded herself. Everyone knew now that she was pregnant, but the complications had been kept away from everybody outside of those who actually cared for her. Now, she knew, the world was about to find out.

"Let's get out of here Mer," Cristina whispered as she pulled on her best friend's scrub shirt. Addison seemed just as eager to get Meredith away from the stares. But just as they were about to leave the scene, attention was shifted back towards the room when they heard the door open and their chief walked out. His expression went from one of satisfaction to surprise as he noticed that all the attention was on him. It was then that he spotted Meredith, Addison and Cristina slipping away.

"Oh no," he murmured as he realized what had just happened. He cursed the stupid thin walls as he caught up to his wife and friends.

"Meredith, oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize, that everyone, that everyone could hear…"

Meredith shook it off. "It's fine." But Derek knew that it wasn't and he could see her trying to keep the tears away, unsuccessfully. When the first one slipped, Derek made sure he caught it and wiped it away.

"Come on, let's head up to my office."

Addison and Cristina didn't know whether to follow them up, or just go on, but when Derek motioned for them to follow, they did so and made their way to where they would be able to get some privacy.

"I hate myself right now," Derek said as soon as the door had closed behind him. Addison was sitting on his chair and Cristina sat in one of the two chairs that usually faced the desk, but was now turned towards the rest of the office. Derek went and joined Meredith on the couch and pulled her closer. "I didn't mean for everyone to hear, about the complications mostly. I didn't know that I was that loud…"

Meredith let out a small smile. "It's not your fault," she assured him. "And I'm glad it was able to shut her up."

"Could you guys hear everything?" he then asked.

Meredith nodded. "We got there right before Addie came out, but everyone was already listening. Apparently they could hear it already."

"Glad she'll be gone soon," Addison muttered.

"This will all be over soon," Derek promised. "Things will go back to the way they were. Peace will be restored."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Peace was in fact restored as soon as Rose was out of Seattle Grace. Sure, the rumors were still flying through the halls, and it seemed as if they would never go away, but it was better than having the nurse actually there in person. Derek still felt terrible about letting their secret leak, and Meredith tried brushing it off every time Derek apologized for it, but deep down he knew that it really had hit her and he wished he could take it all back.

But today it didn't matter. Today was going to be a good day.

"Where's Meredith?" Izzie searched frantically for her and Addison just laughed at the panicked expression on her face.

"She went to the washroom. One of the babies is sitting on her bladder. Calm down."

"Calm," Izzie whispered as she relaxed slightly. "I can do that."

But it didn't last long. As soon as Meredith was out of the washroom, she was over excited again.

"Can you believe today is the day?" Izzie exclaimed. "I sure can't! It seems like things are just going by so fast."

Meredith laughed. "I know Izzie. You spent all of yesterday repeating the same thing."

Today was the grand opening of the women's home. Izzie, Meredith and Addison had spent the entire day before going over the last minute touches. The Rose incident had been completely forgotten in both Addie and Meredith's minds as they felt the excitement of the event take over them. Elisabeth had come by later that afternoon so that she could not only find out what they needed her for the next day, being the spokes person, but also to help out. She was as excited as Addison and Meredith were about this, but nobody could be as excited as Izzie was. It was nearly impossible.

Elisabeth had found herself being quite lucky when it came to her life as a young expecting mother. Her mom had finally been there to support her, and that made things a little bit easier. Her parents, who had been divorced since she was seven argued non-stop about what they were going to do with the baby. Her mom had suggested adoption more than once, but Elisabeth knew that she wanted to keep her baby more than anything. She would do whatever she had to do to keep her first child.

The baby's father found out, even though she hadn't wanted him to, and right away, he told her he'd be there for her. She had taken it as a bit of surprise, and although she knew he was a very caring, sweet guy, she thought for sure he would have run off as soon as he knew. But he was responsible about it, and she couldn't help but feel lucky that she hadn't ended up with some total jerk.

She didn't drop out of school, since the baby wasn't due until after she graduated, but it got tough around the end. But no matter what, she wanted her baby to be proud of her, so she stuck it until the end. At her graduation, she ended up being valedictorian, and her speech on making important life choices put everyone in an emotional mess. The entire school pretty much knew about her pregnancy, and although very few of them could relate to what she was going through, it all touched them that she was able to stay positive throughout all of it.

The summer had been the hardest times. Her friends were all getting ready to go away for college or university, and she saw very little of them. Her boyfriend, the father of her baby, had to make some very important decisions too. He had been accepted into a big fancy university in New York, but he felt like he needed to stay back because of her and the baby. After several weeks of trying to convince him she would be fine, he decided it would be better for their baby if they were able to bring in some money after he or she was born. He left the first week of August.

Her parents were still fighting, and she found herself confiding more and more in Meredith as the month of August dragged on. They had gotten together a few times, and Elisabeth had been delighted to have someone to talk to who didn't judge her. And Addison had been a great help too, especially since she didn't have all the money she needed for going through tests and stuff.

She had been involved in a lot of the mother's house planning. When Meredith had told her about it, and how she had been the inspiration, she got involved right away. She felt good, being able to help someway. When Meredith and Izzie saw just how much she was willing to commit herself, they offered her a position in the home for when it would be finished. There was going to be a daycare center for the moms who were working and Elisabeth would be running it, with Izzie's guidance.

Elisabeth was thrilled and felt so grateful. She just couldn't believe how lucky she had been to be in the right place at the right time. If it hadn't of been for that one fateful day in the waiting room at the doctors, she never would have met Meredith and things would have been so much harder. She felt grateful, no matter how much she was going through.

And today was the day.

"Elisabeth!" Meredith exclaimed as soon as she walked through the doors. "Are you ready for your big moment?"

Elisabeth smiled. "I'm ready." She glanced over towards Izzie. "How many coffees has she had today?"

Addison laughed. "She's been here since at least five this morning, and there's no coffee here, so unless she hid it or had a whole bunch before coming in, then I'd have to say she is not being influenced by caffeine. She is naturally overexcited."

Elisabeth laughed. "I see there's quite the crowd out there."

Meredith nodded. "Half of the OBGYN floor is here," she said with a laugh.

"Half of the hospital is here," Izzie made her own observation.

And she wasn't far from it. Aside the OBG's, most of their friends had come out to support the cause. Derek, being one of the big helpers for the cause, was being interviewed by the media that had shown up for the event. Cristina, Jackson, Lexie, Mark, Arizona, Catherine and Stephanie were gathered in one corner. Close by were Richard, Adele, Helen, Miranda, Ben and Tuck. Molly, Shawn and Laura were also there and stayed around with Lexie and Mark. The Harrington brothers had also joined, mostly because Sam needed to be there for Addie, and they spent all the time they could with Helen.

There were representatives from almost all of their sponsors and the media was a little bit everywhere. But what blew Meredith away were the amount of woman with either small children, or who looked to be pregnant. They had imagined maybe two or three would come, but there were at least a dozen of them. Some were being interviewed, most of the others found each other and had formed small groups.

"Here we go," Izzie said as she opened the front door and stepped out onto the front step, followed by the three others.

Everyone looked up as they stepped onto the porch. Their audience got quiet, and Izzie took this opportunity to start.

"Thank you everyone for joining us today," she started. "I won't make this long, but I do want to say a few words. I want to start with thanking all of our sponsors, along with those who have helped us through these past few months of planning. Addison Montgomery and Derek Shepherd were two of our biggest helps. We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you two."

People clapped and Izzie's smile grew. She backed up and let Meredith take her place in front. "Izzie has made it quite clear that we've had a lot of help through this, but if it hadn't of been for this young woman behind me," she designated Elisabeth, "none of this would have happened. She's the one who inspired me to start this project, and I've had a pleasure working on it with her by my side, along with Izzie Stevens and Addison Montgomery. I would now like to ask Elisabeth Landon to say a few words."

Elisabeth smiled to Meredith. She then faced the crowd before her. "I've had the pleasure to watch this project go up nearly every step of the way, and knowing what it's like going through a pregnancy nearly on my own, I know how much this home will help others who will end up in the same situation as me in the future. I feel honored to have had such an important role in all of this, and I've learnt to realize that if you look at things with a positive frame of mind, there's always a way to make things easier. I just graduated from Garfield High this spring and I have to say that being a teenage mom is a lot different than people seem to think it is. In a good way, as much as in a bad one. But what I'm trying to say is that if you keep hope, anything is possible. And I hope the other mothers in the situation I am in currently truly believe that there is always a bright side to everything. And that they take advantage of what is being offered to them. I can assure you, from the work I've seen put into this place, it'll be a blessing to have. Thank you."

There was a lot of cheering and clapping as Elisabeth stepped away from all the attention and let Izzie speak again.

"I would like to take this moment to announce that The O'Malley Residence for Young and Single Mothers officially open!"

The excitement was clear in most of the peoples expressions. But most of the Seattle Grace crew had been shocked and touched at the same moment when they had finally announced the name. Meredith caught Derek's eye, and she smiled when she noticed the expression on his face. Is wasn't sad, it was more understanding. Cristina, Lexie, Miranda and Alex just clapped quietly as they took it all in. They hadn't seen it coming.

Soon enough celebrations were in full swing and most people had come to meet the people in charge. Izzie was officially named the caretaker of the operation, Meredith was just the cofounder. Addison had all the information people were looking for, and would also have an important role in the running of the home, but Izzie answered most of the questions.

"I love the name," Derek whispered in Meredith's ear as he approached her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the cheek. "You guys should be very proud of all of it."

"We are," Meredith smiled.


	42. Unconscious

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my ideas and creativity**

**I want to thank everyone for all the wonderful reviews. I didn't reply any of them, not because I didn't want to, but because I just got home from Florida and just read them, and figured you guys would probably enjoy another chapter more than a reply anyway, so yeah !**

**Hope you guys enjoy this one !**

"Isn't this adorable Meredith?" Derek asked as he picked up the little sundress that he had found. Meredith just laughed, not at the dress, but at the expression on her husband's face.

"It is Derek, but I don't think it will fit you."

Derek rolled his eyes and made a sarcastic laughing sound, which made Meredith laugh even harder.

The rest of Saturday's festivities had flown by and once it all came to an end, Meredith had gone for her on-call shift. Derek had the night off, so he spent it with Mark and Addie at Joe's. He had to admit, it was great to spend some time with his two best friends once and a while. Amy had joined them later on and she had made the same comment Derek had been thinking; it felt so much like the good old times.

Meredith, on the other hand, had spent her night with Lexie and Jackson. It would have been very uneventful, but she had decided to make an appearance at just the perfect time to make it an interesting evening.

_She had just finished up a surgery with Dr Lewis and had heard that Lexie and Jackson were in the tunnels. There not being much else to do, she made her way down to find her friends. She hadn't made it through the doors when she heard laughter._

"_It's beautiful," she heard Lexie's voice. "I love it."_

_Jackson laughed. "You'd love anything. Mark's got the easiest person to shop for."_

_Meredith took that opportunity to walk in. She caught a glimpse of Lexie smacking Jackson in the arm before they noticed her, and their expressions seemed somewhat panicked. Jackson seemed to be hiding something behind him._

"_What's going on…?" Meredith asked as she approached cautiously. _

"_Nothing," they both answered at the same time. She knew something was up._

"_Then what were you guys talking about?" Meredith was going to get to the bottom of this._

"_Nothing," Lexie said as she shook her head. _

"_Then what do you think is beautiful?" Meredith knew Lexie was a terrible liar, and she would have to answer her question with something, so she knew she had caught her._

_She didn't answer right away. She just looked at Jackson with a pleading stare. He rolled his eyes._

"_She's her best friend," Lexie reminded him._

"_This has to do with Cristina?" Meredith asked._

_Jackson was hesitant, but he got up and got closer to Meredith. When he was about two feet away, he pulled out a small box from his back pocket. Meredith didn't need to ask what it was._

_When he opened it, she let out a small gasp. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed as she took it out. "It's beautiful!"_

_Jackson smiled, no longer seeming worried. "I know, isn't it?"_

_Meredith looked up at him. "When are you going to do it? How? Where?"_

_Jackson laughed. "I haven't figured it out yet, but until I have, you keep your mouth shut."_

_Meredith nodded. "Who all knows?"_

"_Just Lexie and you. I think I'm going to tell my mom before she leaves though."_

_Meredith smiled. "It blows my mind how much we've all grown in the past year."_

"_I still can't believe we're all where we are," Lexie agreed as she played with her own ring._

"_I don't think anybody really saw any of this coming," Meredith added. She looked at the ring that would hopefully soon be on her best friend's finger, before she put it back in its place, securely in its box. _

Derek had picked her up after her shift ended Sunday morning. After going home, showering, getting dressed, having breakfast and the other usual morning things, they headed out to go shopping. They hadn't really done any shopping yet, so they thought what better time. Meredith was in her third trimester, and according to Addie, if the babies were to come prematurely, it could be any day now. So Meredith and Derek didn't want to take any chances and have nothing for when the babies got there.

They had spent a good three hours searching for the most important things first. They had found two bassinets, two car seats, a large change table, two cribs, two highchairs and a whole bunch of other things they would need for the first few months. They then made their way to the easier things, or so they thought. Clothes, bibs, bottles, blankets, diapers, things to decorate their room. The list went on and on, and Meredith couldn't imagine getting it all done in one day. She had even more trouble when it was nearing four and Derek was in the clothing store, hypnotized by all the little outfits. But the more she thought about, the more she realized they were in no rush. They had what they would absolutely need for the beginning, and if worse came to worst, Lexie and Izzie would be more than delighted to go pick up a few extra things. Meredith just smiled at Derek's expression's rather than stressing over their lack of time.

"What about this?" he asked, as he showed her the cute little flowered onesies. Meredith nodded as he put them in the cart. Meredith then smiled at what she had found.

"You'll love these ones."

There were three little onesies, all of them with boats. One of them looked identical to Derek's scrub cap.

Derek smiled and nodded. "Our son will be following in daddies footsteps."

Meredith laughed. "Oh God, help me now."

Derek laughed as he came closer to Meredith and gave her a quick kiss. "Let's go pay for these and then go to the next store."

Meredith agreed as she looked at all the cute little outfits they had gotten. This store was just a clothing store, and they still needed a bunch of other little things like soothers and bottles. They wouldn't find that here.

They got up to the cash register and started loading the clothing onto the counter.

"Not sure what the sex is?" the cashier asked. She was a younger lady, probably in her mid twenties, and seemed to be very caring. She smiled as she did her work.

Meredith giggled. "No, we know what we're having."

The cashier seemed puzzled. "You do realize you have both boys and girls clothing, right?"

Both Derek and Meredith nodded. "We're having twins," Derek said. "A boy and a girl."

The cashier smiled brightly. "That's incredible! You two must be thrilled!"

Derek nodded. "We are."

Meredith nodded in agreement.

They loaded their many bags into the back of Derek's car and drove off to the next store. They hadn't been in it for five minutes when Derek's pager went off.

"Crap, I need to head into the hospital. You good on your own?"

Meredith nodded. "I'll call Lexie to pick me up later. She was planning on coming over anyway."

Derek smiled and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry," he apologized as he started to run off.

He didn't need to apologize. Meredith knew the demands of being a surgeon. She just hoped it didn't affect their family life too much. She didn't want their children to go through anything near what she went through.

She'd make sure it didn't happen.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I can't believe you're leaving already!" Jackson exclaimed after his mother had announced she was planning on heading back to Vermont early the next morning.

Helen laughed. "Well that's good to hear. When I got here, you didn't want to have anything to do with me."

Jackson nodded. "I am terribly sorry about that mom. I regret it terribly now."

Helen just brushed it off with the wave of her hand. "Nonsense. You had the right to be angry with me. Not for that long though…"

Jackson gave his mom a quick hug when he remembered his conversation with Meredith and Lexie from earlier that morning. "Oh mom, I need to show you something."

Cristina was at work at that moment, so there was no chance of her catching them unexpectedly. He went and grabbed his jacket and pulled the box out. His mom's expression was similar to the one Meredith had had.

"Oh Jackson!" she exclaimed as she took the box from his hands. "This is wonderful!" She looked up to him and met his gaze. He noticed right away that her eyes were glistening with tears. "I knew you'd find the right girl."

She pulled him in for a hug and didn't let go for quite a long time. When she finally pulled back, Jackson spoke up. "So I take it that's an approval?"

Helen laughed. "That's more that an approval! I'm absolutely tickled pink that you were able to find someone as amazing as Cristina. I know most of you aren't all that much into traditional, but have you met her family? Asked her father for her hand?"

Jackson shook his head. "Her father died when she was just a little girl. They were in a car accident and she saw him die in front of her own eyes…"

Helen put a hand on her heart. "That's terrible."

"It is," Jackson admitted. "She told me that she doesn't speak much to her mother either. They've never really been all that close."

Helen just nodded slowly. "It happens," she said sadly.

"I've come to the realization that I was one lucky kid," Jackson said as his mother took one more look at the ring before her.

"That you were."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

_She hadn't lied when she had been asked if she was okay. She had felt fine just moments before. But suddenly, everything felt as if it was falling apart. She had been able to hold it all together, for so long now, but sometimes, she just felt like giving up. Her vision was blurring, and she tried to balance herself, but she had never felt so unbalanced before. Her head was spinning, and she knew it wouldn't be much longer before she would be on the floor. Her weight started to give out from under her. She tried to call for help, but nothing came out. The last thing she could remember was the sensation of the cold floor against her cheek. _

_Then nothing_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Elisabeth, can you hear me?" Derek asked as he tried to get into the young woman's subconscious hearing. Sometimes patients with brain injuries were able to hear people around them, even if they weren't really listening. It had been said if they were asked to give some sort of sign, they would do something like flinch or move just the slightest bit. Derek hoped to God that Elisabeth wasn't too far gone.

"What's wrong? Is everything okay? One second, she was standing beside me helping me with supper, the next she was on the ground. I think she might have hit her head on the way down…I don't quite remember." Izzie was panicking. Derek knew it. She had been away from the hospital for too long to remember how to stay calm. But then again, when it wasn't just another patient, when it was a friend or a loved one, even the greatest of doctors panicked and were unable to make sense of things.

"I think we have a bleed, we'll need to order a CT to make sure."

Addison charged into the room at that very second. "What happened?" she asked.

Izzie went through the same explanation as Derek prepped Elisabeth for a scan. When they discovered the small bleeder, they rushed into surgery right away.

Her mother arrived as they went into surgery and found Izzie in the waiting room. They had gotten to know each other over the past few months. They sat in silence, hoping and praying Elisabeth would be alright.

"It's terrible how these things happen. She's made it through her entire pregnancy so far as strong as can be. It's like surviving a car accident and having a heart attack after getting out of the hospital," Addie spoke quietly. Derek nodded, understanding what she meant.

The surgery was over in no time, and Elisabeth was on the road to hopefully a quick and easy recovery. The baby's heartbeat was strong, and the incident hadn't affected him in anyway.

"We will be sure to make several visits throughout the next few days," Derek assured her mother. "She is, after all, a very important patient for all of us. And I'm sure Izzie will keep an eye out for her. She knows what she's doing."

Elisabeth's mother nodded and sat silently beside her daughter.

"I'd hate to be the parents," Derek mumbled as he walked out. "I don't know how I'd make it through."

Addie made no comment on how he would be that parent, the one who had to wait by his child's bedside for her to wake up, hoping that everything was alright. His daughter, his unborn daughter, would almost certainly have to visit the hospital several times during her life. Her heart condition was bound to follow her throughout her life.

Derek had been thinking, of course, about the same thing, but he decided not to dwell on it until the time came. He didn't want to be wallowing in his misery this early in the game.

They were heading towards the nurse's station when Addie noticed someone she hadn't been expecting to see in the hospital.

"Sam? What are you doing here?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Sam and Addie had been in much of the same situation as Derek and Meredith that day. Addie had the day off, before having been paged about Elisabeth's incident, and they had taken advantage of their time off together to go shopping for the son they would be welcoming to their home in just a few weeks. But when Addie was paged in, Sam had decided to stay and finish his shopping, saying he could call a taxi or something.

With a quick kiss, Addie had rushed out and Sam continued his search.

He had been doing a lot of thinking lately. He knew they weren't doing things in the right order, adopting a baby before getting married, engaged for that matter. But that wasn't an issue. Like Jackson, he had the ring, he just needed the perfect time. And it wasn't like they were the only ones doing things in the wrong order. It happened plenty. He knew that. And he didn't care. Because he knew that their son would be loved no matter what, by both of his parents.

Addie had already planned to take a few weeks off after the baby was born and Sam would also take a few weeks off. He hadn't been working both jobs since he and Addie had started getting serious. He only worked at the Inn, and once the Inn would shut down for the season, he would stay home for a few months with the baby. If then he saw that they could send him to the daycare at the hospital, he would probably search for a job that he could work until April. Then he would be back at the Inn. The money from the three cottages they had sold, plus the forth one they had been renting to Meredith and Derek was enough to keep him and his two brothers out of debt for quite a while. They had never been so lucky.

The more he thought about it, the more excited he got about the arrival of the baby. He had always wanted a family, but he had never found the right girl. That is, until Addison. When Addie had told him that she couldn't have kids, he had suggested right away their option of adoption. She was thrilled at the idea and couldn't wait to get started with all the process. But they knew about the long waiting lists, that it could be years before they actually had a child of their own. That's why they had applied so early. They had thought that they would have been engaged, married and used to their life together before they even got a call about adopting. But it had happened in the blink of an eye. They couldn't turn it down or else they had very little chance of getting a second chance anytime soon. So they took it, knowing that they could do anything.

The store was pretty quiet. It was a big department store, but it was the supper hour on a Sunday evening, so very few people wandered the aisles. Sam had seen a young couple, an elder lady and what he guessed was her grandson and two woman with young children since his arrival about twenty minutes ago. A few employees wandered, but not enough to monitor the entire store. There were also only two cashes open. They probably knew that it wouldn't be busy.

He was nearing the back of the store when he noticed a woman lying in the aisle. His instinct was first and foremost to get ready to call 911. He pulled out the phone and dialed, as he made his way closer. When someone picked up at the other end, he had reached the woman.

"State your emergency," the voice said mechanically.

"I've found a woman unconscious in Jocelyn's department store. I think she may be pregnant."

Sam had just reached the woman and he let out a small gasp when he was close enough to see her features.

"You believe she's pregnant? Is there any proof of that?"

Sam was in shock. "No, I know she's pregnant. Third trimester."

"Um, sir, this isn't time for games. How can you be sure?"

Sam's hand shook as he grasped the phone harder. "I've realized I know her. She's… she's a good friend."

"We're sending an ambulance now. Please stay calm. Someone will be there to help."

The phone went dead and Sam just let the phone slip out from his grasp.

"Meredith, Meredith! Wake up!" he tried, with no luck.

"Is she alright?" Sam suddenly heard a panicked voice from behind him. He turned around and saw a young lady dressed in one of the employee shirts. A clerk.

"I don't know," he mumbled. "But an ambulance is coming. Could you go wait for it, help them find their way to here?"

The clerk nodded and rushed away. Sam just stayed bent down beside Meredith.

"Someone's coming. We'll make sure you and the babies are alright."

The sirens were heard moments later and before he knew it the paramedic's were loading Meredith onto a gurney. Sam followed mechanically. As they placed Meredith in the back of the ambulance, they ushered him on and he obeyed.

"Are you her husband?" one of the paramedic's asked.

"What?" Sam asked, completely taken aback by his question.

"Her husband," he motioned to the rings on her finger. "Are you her husband?"

Sam shook his head. "No I'm a good friend. I had noticed a woman laying on the ground and when I went to see if she was okay… I didn't know it was her until I was already on the phone with emergency."

The paramedic nodded. "Was she shopping alone?"

Sam was quick to answer. "She was with her husband, I'm pretty sure, but I have a feeling he was paged because my girlfriend was paged, and they work together. At Seattle Grace. So does Meredith," he added as he designated the woman laying before them.

"That's where we're headed. Can you give me any information about her?"

Sam shrugged. "I don't know all that much."

"Her name, husband's name, how far along she is."

Easy questions. Sam knew the answers to these. "Her name is Meredith Shepherd. Married to Derek Shepherd. Thirty two years old. She's at the end of her second trimester, if not the beginning of her third. She's been having several complications with her pregnancy and has been through surgery because of it. She's carrying twins."

The paramedic seemed bewildered. "She doesn't look more than a few months along. Are you sure?"

Sam nodded. "Positive."

They had reached the hospital and the ambulance came to a stop. The doors were opened and Sam was ushered to jump out before they took Meredith out.

"Sam?" Miranda asked when she noticed him jump out. "What's going on?"

He didn't need to answer. The paramedic's answered for him.

"Meredith Shepherd, thirty two, found unconscious in local department store."

Miranda rushed to Meredith's side, quickly followed by Alex, who had been waiting for the ambulance with the attending.

"I found her lying in the aisle," Sam spoke up.

"Let's get her in," Miranda said, trying to stay relaxed, but her voice was shaky as it came out.

Sam was asked to wait in the hallway, not wanting anyone to get in the way. Alex, Miranda and Catherine took up enough room as it was, making sure they didn't miss anything. Meredith was still unconscious, and nothing seemed to be able to awaken her.

"Meredith, don't do this to us," Miranda whispered. Alex didn't know how to react. He just watched as the usually strong and confident doctor he had grown to respect crumbled in front of him as one of his best friends lay lifelessly in front of his eyes.

Sam, however, tried his best not to let anything show. He didn't know what had gotten into him. He wasn't usually very emotional when it came to things like this, but he had grown attached to his girlfriend's younger friend and patient. They had spent a lot of long evenings and even days when she had been off work discussing their future parenthood, with and without Addie and Derek. They had gotten to know each other and Sam saw a friend in her. There was just something about her… and she was also, of course, like a sister to him since Jackson was like his brother, and they were actual siblings. But none of that mattered. What mattered was that Meredith was okay.

"Sam?" He spun around when he recognized Addison's voice. She and Derek were approaching. This meant they hadn't heard. And he would have to break it to them. "What are you doing here?"

Sam just shook his head. "I should have called, but with the paramedics and Bailey and…" he trailed off, and Addie was quick to notice that whatever it was had really gotten to him.

"Sam, breathe, what is it?"

Sam didn't say anything. He couldn't find the words. He just led them down to the secluded area of the hospital they had brought Meredith to. He knew this because he had been back and forth between there and the nurse's station about twenty times in the last hour. He needed updates, but at the same time, he didn't want to see everyone so dark as they thought of 'what if's' and their 'worst case scenarios'. But he knew he wouldn't be able to update anyone. Especially not the two people in front of him.

"Sam, where are you taking us?" Derek asked, getting a little worried. He wasn't expecting what was about to hit him.

They had reached the room before anyone was able to ask any more questions. Sam stopped and was about to say something when Miranda came out, her face smeared in tears.

"Miranda, what's going on?" Derek asked. Miranda hadn't even noticed the visitors until Derek had said a word, too busy thinking about hiding away in an on-call room until this nightmare was over.

She looked at Sam. "They… they don't know?"

"Know what?" Addie asked, on the verge of panic. "Who is in there?"

Miranda looked up towards Derek. "I'm sorry," was all she said as she ran off.

Derek's face struck with horror as he knew exactly what was happening. It didn't take him an instant to react and rush into the room.

"Meredith!" he yelled as the tears rolled down his cheeks. He didn't bother trying to stop them. He didn't care what anyone thought of him. But he would soon realize that everyone who cared was in the same situation as him. "Meredith, no! You can't leave me here. Not alone. Wake up!" he yelled.

Addison had come in right behind him, and tried calming him down, but she had trouble containing her own emotions. But at least she was sensible enough to notice the heart monitor. The heart monitor that was beeping.

"Derek listen!" she attempted to calm him down.

After a few more minutes of fighting her grasp, he realized what she had wanted him to listen for. "A heartbeat," he mumbled. He looked at Alex, who, by the looks of his eyes, had let a few slip, and stated what he had just come to realize, but in a question, as if wanting a confirmation. "She's not… dead?" he managed to choke out.

Alex shook his head. "Just unconscious. But we don't know how long it's been or for how long she'll be out. I'm really sorry…"

Derek relaxed slightly and Addison let him go, knowing he wouldn't do anything stupid now that he was thinking rationally. He trailed towards the other side of the room, and fell to his knees beside her bed.

"Meredith, you need to wake up," he said in a much calmer voice, but the tears didn't stop from flowing. "You need to be strong for when the babies are born. They need you to be strong. I need you to be strong."

Addison suddenly turned into Dr Montgomery as soon as Derek said babies. "Has anyone done an ultrasound?"

Alex nodded. "We made sure we started with that. Both babies seem to be fine, but you can take a second look if you'd like." Alex wasn't just inviting her to do so, he was asking her to, and Addie knew it.

"It wouldn't hurt," she nodded. But she also found nothing wrong. She did notice, however, that although their traits were as developed as any baby in their twenty-sixth week, they weren't near the size they should be, which would mean that even if they were carried until term, they would be very small and would need extra special care. She just hoped that Derek wouldn't be alone. But she couldn't think like that. Meredith would be fine. Even after this incident blew over, Meredith would always be fine. Because she was strong.

"I love you," Derek whispered into her ear as he pressed a kiss to her cheek, then on her lips. His tears were now being shared as the wetness collected on Meredith's cheek. When he noticed this, he quickly wiped them away. "Don't forget that. Fight, if only for our babies. Fight, if only for our little family. Fight for me."

Addie needed to leave. Derek's emotions were going to make her emotional. She didn't need to get emotional right now. As she walked out and noticed Sam, she remembered that he had known before them.

"Sam, what… what… how…How did this happen?"

Sam just shook his head. "Derek shouldn't have left her alone at the store. She collapsed, and I found her there. I don't know how long she had been unconscious before I found her, but it could have been a while. The ambulance came, and everything is just a blur." He took a breath then looked up. "Is she okay?"

Addison sighed. "We can't make any assumptions about anything. We don't know why she's still unconscious or for how long she'll be under. We just need to hope for the best."

Sam nodded and when he noticed the tears slip down Addie's face, he brought her close to him. "She'll be okay. She's Meredith."

"I know."

**Emotion filled one, heh ?**


	43. Opened Eyes

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Never was. Never will be.**

She didn't know what was going on, or what had happened for that matter, but she knew that everything hurt. She could barely move her fingers without feeling the pain searing through her body. She felt hopeless, like nothing was even worth this amount pain. But she knew that deep down there was something more important than the feeling in her core.

She had trouble opening her eyes, and even though she tried, sound was not coming out of her mouth. She could, even though it wasn't very clear, hear some of the things going on around her. For instance, she recognized one voice over the others. Deep and soft, if sounded more pained and suffering than the others. But names were at a loss in her mind right now. Nothing made sense.

She suddenly had a slight image all of a sudden. She recognized her old resident, in her dark blue scrubs, sitting in a chair, her face in her hands. She also recognized the soft sound coming from around her as whimpers, or soft cries and she felt a wave of compassion within her for the woman she admired.

But she thought of it as nothing more than a dream. She would realize later that she hadn't dreamt that. That she had actually opened her eyes for a split second and that Miranda had been caught at crying, when she was thinking no one was watching.

When she awoke a second time, this time conscious of her surroundings, there was more going on around her. There were several voices. Derek's, over all the others, was the voice that made her push herself to wake up from her deep sleep. Still very sore, she tried her best not to move anything more than the strict necessary. And the strict necessary consisted uniquely of her eyelids.

She tried and tried, but they felt so heavy. Almost as if someone had tied weights to them so they would remain shut if she didn't force herself. But she wasn't giving up that easily. She wouldn't be stopped, even if it was by gravity, or whatever the hell was stopping her at that moment. Frustrated with her lack of success, she let out a small groan, a groan that didn't go unnoticed in the room.

When everything went quiet, Meredith was sure she had slipped back into unconsciousness. But when she still had trouble opening her eyes, she knew that she was still fighting. She felt pressure around her hand, as if someone was squeezing it. She tried squeezing back, attempting a signal that she was alive, and when there was excitement heard in the voice she loved so much, she knew her signal had gone through. Wanting to see the man she loved more than anything, she pushed harder, and eventually was able to open her eyes the slightest little bit.

Once she had them part way open, prodding them open further wasn't all that hard. She was pushed by her surroundings to open her eyes to the fullest, wanting to take in light as soon as it broke through the darkness she had been living through for what seemed like hours. The light hurt her eyes at first, but before no time she adjusted and was able to keep her eyes open for more than a few seconds.

"Meredith…" her husband whispered. "Can you hear me?"

She tried nodding, but she couldn't move her neck. Her throat hurt so much when she tried to make a sound that she just gave up. As a signal, she had done the same she had just moments before. She squeezed his hands.

"Oh my gosh, oh my…" Derek let tears fall. These weren't sad tears though. They were tears of joy.

"Welcome back," she heard another voice say in the background. When Mark came into her vision, she was able to put the voice with the face. She smiled the slightest bit more, as if showing him she was glad to be back.

Her joints and muscles started relaxing little by little. Soon enough, she was able to move more than just her fingers, and although it still hurt, she made an effort to move around a little bit, to give herself a little more life.

"Here," Catherine offered her a glass of water. She was very thankful for it, although she couldn't really show that at the moment. Her bed suddenly started moving, and she was sitting up within seconds. She took in the scene around her.

In the room were Derek, Mark and Catherine. They all seemed very tired and relieved at the same time. _How long was I gone?_

Once she had finished her glass, Derek took it from her and placed it on the side table. He gave her a quick kiss, and Meredith smiled.

"You really scared me Meredith," he whispered. "Nobody knew if you'd wake up."

"H… long… gone…"she tried to form a sentence but it hurt too much. So she said the strict minimum. She wasn't even sure Derek understood, her voice was so raspy.

"Five days," Derek answered. "We're Friday. You've been unconscious since Sunday. Do you remember?"

She nodded. They had been shopping. Derek had left, so she continued to shop alone. And then suddenly, everything had started feeling like it was crumbling and then darkness.

Five days, she thought to herself. She had thought a few hours maybe, a day at the most. But Derek had just said five days. What did she miss?

Just then the door opened and Meredith recognized Addison when she came in. She was reading a chart.

"Any change?" she asked, without even bothering to look up.

Derek and Mark answered together. "Oh yes."

Addison looked up and her eyes bulged out when she saw Meredith sitting up, eyes open, completely alert.

"Meredith! You're awake."

Meredith smiled as Addie approached.

"You have no idea how worried everyone was! Sam will be delighted to hear this." Meredith's puzzled look told Addie she needed to continue her explanation. "He's the one who found you in the aisle. He was the one who called the police and accompanied you here. He's your hero," she added with a laugh.

"Hero," Meredith mumbled and nodded.

As if it had already gotten around the hospital that Meredith was awake, Lexie and Cristina chose that moment to walk in, followed closely by Jackson. The girls were both in street clothes, which meant that today was one of their days off.

"Meredith!" they all exclaimed when they noticed their friend was no longer unconscious. They approached quickly. The room was starting to fill.

"I'll give you guys some more room," Catherine laughed as she walked out.

"And I'll come back when things have calmed down," Addie decided.

"How long have you been awake? How do you feel? Do you need anything?"

"Sore," was the only word Meredith could manage to form.

Derek answered their first question. "She's only been awake for about half an hour."

They nodded and Jackson said a quick goodbye before heading back to work. The girls had decided to stay.

"Meredith, you picked the right week to go all unconscious on us. Nothing happened. And I mean, at all," Cristina said as Lexie agreed. It had been a very slow week.

As if there weren't enough people as it was, the door opened again, and this time, Meredith was surprised as she noticed one of her visitors in particular.

"We just heard!" Izzie squealed as she entered, pushing a wheelchair. "Alex saw Addison in the hallway, and she told him you were awake. He told us and here we are!"

Meredith smiled, but still needed an answer to the question bubbling in her mind. "Elisabeth?" she asked, as she looked down to the young woman in the wheelchair.

"Looks like we picked the same day to crash," she said with a slight laugh.

"She was the patient I had been paged for when we were shopping," Derek explained.

"What happened?" she asked, her voice coming back to normal.

"I fainted and hit my head. There was a bleed, but your hard ass surgeon of a husband over here fixed me all up." She smiled when Meredith started giggling.

"I say we give Meredith a little bit of room and time to recover slightly before we crowd her too much," Alex said when he noticed how drained his friend looked. They all agreed, and minus Derek, everyone made their way towards the door. Alex was the last to head out, and Meredith mouthed a quick thank you which he replied with a wink.

"You need to stop scaring me like this Meredith," Derek said once things had calmed down.

"I swear, your hair is much grayer than it was when we met," she answered with a laugh.

Derek laughed. "It's your fault you know. It gets a shade grayer every time you're out of my sight."

Meredith scooted towards one side of the bed, and Derek knew what she wanted. He crawled over the rail and lay beside his wife, glad she was finally conscious. He didn't know how he would survive if anything like this ever happened again.

"I'm going to end up having a heart attack before I turn forty-five," he said as he pulled Meredith closer to him. He kissed the skin on her neck and she cuddled further into him.

"Don't do that," she said. "Then I'd have to worry about you."

"Payback," he said with a laugh.

They fell asleep in that position, snuggled against each other, and Derek wouldn't have it any other way. Okay, perhaps in a bigger bed in a more private area. But as long as he had Meredith in his arms, he was alright.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

She hadn't been gone all that long, but when she had gotten back from getting a few hours of sleep and some food, since Derek had insisted on it, she found Derek lying beside his wife in the very smile bed. She couldn't help but let a small, sad smile form on her lips._ What would he do without her? _she asked herself.

What she didn't know about Meredith's current situation she would soon find out, because just minutes after she had taken a seat beside the bed, Derek woke up.

"Has there been any change?" she asked, even before Derek was able to sit up. As soon as his eyelids had opened and she had seen him looking at her, the words came out.

"She was awake," Derek said with a smile. "Her eyes were open, she was smiling, laughing. She even talked to us and was able to make fun of me. She's back."

She smiled as she noticed the man in front of her had tears of joy gather in the corner of his eyes. She had been gone just a little over an hour, and in the time she was gone, Meredith had been awake. She had a feeling she would miss something important, but she hadn't expected it to be as big.

Just then, the patient herself started to stir and before she knew it, her eyes were opening.

"I didn't mean to wake you," their visitor said.

It took a few minutes for Meredith's eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. Somebody must have turned out the light when they had noticed her and Derek sleeping she decided. But when her eyes noticed the woman sitting beside the bed, she thought she was dreaming.

"Carolyn," she mumbled.

Carolyn smiled. "It's good to see you awake."

Carolyn had gotten the frantic call from her son Sunday night, and she knew that he was hurting and that he needed someone to be there for him in this moment of pain and suffering. She took a red-eye flight out of New York Monday morning and was in Seattle late Monday afternoon. Amy had picked her up at the airport, and although she was excited to see her mother whom she hadn't seen since she had moved, she was also in pain because of Meredith's situation.

Carolyn had been staying at Derek and Meredith's place in one of the extra rooms and knew that she might be here for a little while. She was in no rush to head back to New York, so she had packed heavy, thinking maybe she'd stay a few weeks, if not longer. Derek had insisted she stay for however long as she wanted, and Carolyn thought about how little time she had spent with Derek over the last several years, compared to all the time she had spent with her other children. Of course, she knew it wasn't completely her fault, that Derek hadn't wanted her around, but she still felt a little bit bad about not having tried harder. She wanted to make sure her son knew she'd always be there for him, and she knew these next few months would be very hard for Meredith, but also for him. So she was thinking about staying for a while.

"What…when…why?" Meredith couldn't form full sentences, but not because she didn't have the strength for it. She was still shocked by the fact that her mother in law was sitting just feet away.

"I arrived here Monday and I'm here because Derek needed me here, not only because of your terrible state, but also because you both need somebody to look after you two for the next few months."

"Next few months?"

Carolyn looked at Derek, whom she had already discussed this with.

"I've already talked to Derek, and if you don't feel like I'm being overbearing, I would be delighted to stay here until the babies are born."

Meredith's eyes were struck with surprise. "But … but … that could be months! I still have three months to go before they're due…"

Carolyn got up and took her daughter's hand. "I want to be here to help you through this Meredith. It's not easy, what you are going through. I don't want the two of you to go through all of this alone. I know, I know, you've got the entire hospital supporting you, and you should be grateful for that, but I want to be able to make sure my grandbabies know they are loved from every part of the country and beyond. They are very special little babies, and I want to make sure their mommy doesn't push herself too far and that all of you can just relax, knowing that I'll be around for any of your needs."

Meredith couldn't help the tears that came flooding down. "Caro – Mom," she said between sobs, "you have no idea how much this means to me, to know that somebody would fly across the country for _me._ My mother… my mother made me feel like I wasn't worth a single minute of anybody's time. Yet you, you make me feel like the luckiest woman on the planet. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I can't believe…" she coughed slightly, and Derek grabbed her her glass of water. "I can't believe this…" she trailed off as she continued to cry and Derek wiped away the tears he could catch.

Carolyn had been touched. "You deserve to be the luckiest woman on the planet. Your life up until now has been nothing but heartbreak after heartbreak, struggle after struggle. And I know, my son didn't help with any of that in the beginning, but he knows that you deserve much more than you've had to bear, and so do I. You deserve to be treated like a queen, and that's what you will get."

Meredith continued to blubber and Derek couldn't help but chuckle, which made Meredith chuckle. "I feel like I've just gone through the shower."

Carolyn laughed also. "Your emotions just make you more beautiful."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Throughout the next few days, Meredith had had many more visitors, along with repeated visits from those who had already been in to see her. Richard had been by later that same evening, along with Amy and another visit from Addie. She and Derek were then left to their privacy for the rest of the night.

Early the next morning, Lexie and Mark had come by again, and soon Stephanie had found her way down. It being a Saturday that her mom was working, she was at the hospital. She was delighted to be able to spend most of it with Meredith. Julian had come by with Alyssa, Kayla and Daniel and Kayla and Stephanie told Meredith all about their new found friendship and how school was going. Adele had also come by. Callie and Arizona had stopped by too for quick visits, along with Preston and Malcolm. She couldn't believe the number of people who cared enough to actually take time from their busy schedules just to see how she was doing.

When things had quieted down, Meredith had gotten a visit from her hero. Sam had come soon after lunch, and although usually there was no awkwardness in their conversations, it seemed that today, he was at a loss for words. So Meredith spoke first.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Sam looked up from the floor, and a smile escaped from his lips. "Your welcome. Just, don't do it again."

Meredith let out a small giggle. "I'll try not to."

Conversation had gotten easier after that. Addison and Derek soon made an entrance and joined in on their conversation too. But it didn't last long since Addison was paged away. Sam had taken the opportunity to escape promising he'd be back to visit within the next few days.

Although Meredith had had more than enough visitors, she knew that it didn't make sense she hadn't had at least one more. Miranda Bailey hadn't even stopped by once to see how she was doing. It puzzled Meredith, since she knew that Miranda truly cared, more than some of her other visitors.

"She left," Derek said late Tuesday when Meredith had inquired. "Thursday morning. She called into work, and I could tell she was crying. She asked for a few days off. I couldn't say no, so I gave her the week off. I tried calling her on Saturday to let her know that you had woken up, but there was no answer at home, and her cell went straight to voicemail. I didn't leave a message, because I decide you were worth more than a message," he added the last line with his McDreamy smile. Meredith had pushed it to the back of her mind once Derek's lips were on hers. But now, it was Thursday morning, and she hadn't thought of much else since she had woken up.

"Are you ready to head home?" Derek asked when he walked into her room. She had gotten dressed and had her duffel bag that Carolyn had packed for her placed by the door, indicating she couldn't wait to get out of here.

"I just need to go to the bathroom before we head out," she said. Derek pushed her and her wheelchair to the nearest bathroom and she felt stable enough to get up and walk into the public bathroom without his assistance.

After relieving herself, something she did quite often now that her son or her daughter had decided that her bladder was a very comfortable pillow or beanie bag chair, she began to wash her hands. But the sound of vomiting made her stop mid rinse.

She didn't want to intrude on anyone's business, but she felt like she needed to wait and see if whoever it was needed help. She had learned over the years, with the addition of the past few months, the difference between the sounds of the flue, a hangover and the one she had come to learn the most about, pregnancy, and she had guessed that this one was neither A or B.

The toilet flushed and the door opened. Meredith's eyes widened when she saw who was exiting the stall, but laughed interiorly at the irony of the situation.

"It seems like our positions have been switched," Meredith said as she leaned against the counter and put her hands over her small baby bump.

Miranda's head shot up when she had heard the voice. "Meredith…" she whispered. Miranda hadn't known whether Meredith had woken up or not yet until that very instance. To see her standing there in front of her made her heart swell with joy. She couldn't handle losing another one of her 'children'.

"The one and only," Meredith answered with a smile. "So, I apologize for not having brought a pregnancy test to reenact our scene, but unlike you, I didn't have the chance to guess ahead of time."

Miranda shook her head. "We wouldn't be able to reenact anything because this isn't at all the same as the time I found you vomiting in this very bathroom."

Meredith crossed her arms over her chest. She knew she was right. And she wouldn't rest until Miranda proved she was wrong, or discovered that Meredith was in fact a genius.

Since Meredith didn't say anything, Miranda continued. "This isn't at all the same, because unlike you, I already knew I was pregnant."

Meredith let her arms out of the threatening position they were in and let the smile build on her face. "Congratulations!" Meredith said, but in a soft tone. She didn't want to be totally overjoyed in case Miranda wasn't as quite excited about this as most women would be.

"Thanks," she replied, and Meredith didn't know whether Miranda was happy or not about this situation until the small smile appeared on her lips.

"This is a good thing, right?" Meredith asked. Miranda leaned up against the counter beside her, imagining they could be here for a while.

"I didn't know, at first," Miranda admitted. "I mean, Ben and I are getting serious, but I didn't know if he would be okay with the fact that we were having a baby. I found out on Sunday… just minutes before you were submitted," she said with a saddened expression. "Fear built inside of me, not only for you, but also for me, for what this pregnancy could do to me. And when you weren't waking up… I ran. I needed time to think about it all, and so I took some time off. Derek knew I was hurting, so he didn't question it. When Ben had found out that I was taking a week off, he immediately took the time off too and suggested we get away for a few days. We went to this beautiful little Inn a few hours away, and when he found me vomiting in our bathroom, I needed to tell him… He was delighted. He was. And it made things feel just a little bit easier. But do you know what made things even easier?"

Meredith shook her head.

"Telling you this right now, because me telling you this means that you're alive. And I don't know if I would have been able to recover from losing two of my interns, especially knowing how strong you are. I would have lost hope. You inspire me Meredith Grey."

Meredith felt the tears build up into her eyes. When Miranda noticed the tears, she shook her head.

"You're not allowed to cry. If you cry, I will cry."

Meredith laughed. "Pregnancy hormones. They truly get the best of you."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek started worrying about Meredith and why she was taking so long. Not only did he feel relieved when she came out, he felt joy as he noticed Miranda come out behind her.

"Miranda, it's good to see you're back."

Miranda smiled. "It's good to see Meredith back."

Derek nodded. "It is indeed. I tried calling to tell you, but…"

Miranda nodded. "I had cut myself from everyone. I needed time to breathe."

Derek smiled. "I completely understand."

Miranda smiled to Meredith and headed down the hall.

"I take it you two were chatting like old women," Derek said as Meredith sat back down in the wheelchair.

"We had a good talk," Meredith admitted.

Derek knew better than to ask what they talked about. He had started to understand the basics about woman, and he knew that you never asked about their girl talks.

"Are you ready to go home now?"

Meredith nodded. "You have no idea how ready I am."

**Yay! Meredith is back ! But this is not the end of the drama ... continue reading to find out what's next in store for our favorite doctors !**


	44. Shock and insult

Meredith had grown used to time off. Lazing around the house in nothing more than her PJ bottoms and a tank top. Not having to worry about the stress of the hospital fit her quite well. She had started realizing since the beginning of her pregnancy that the hospital wasn't as much fun as it used to be. She wasn't saying that she didn't want to be a surgeon anymore, she still loved to operate, but she had more important things in life. Like her family. When she thought about this, she couldn't help but laugh. Her world had definitely done a one eighty flip and was now the opposite. But the biggest difference now was that she was happy.

Her life was a happy life. She loved how things had turned out. Minus the complications and the incidents of the past six months, things had gone amazingly well. She had found so many more people she could count on. She had found friends in people she had never expected to find friends in. She had so much family she didn't know what to do with half of it.

But one of the best parts was that her friends' lives were all moving at a great pace too. Lexie and Mark were engaged. Alex and Izzie were talking about kids. Jackson was getting ready to propose to Cristina. Addie and Sam were getting ready for their baby. Miranda was also getting used to the idea that there would be another baby around in her life too. Everyone seemed to be happy.

She made her way down the stairs of their homey cottage only to find Carolyn sitting at the table drinking coffee. She had to admit, she was glad she'd have Carolyn around for the next little while. Someone who could help her through these times, someone who had already gone through this to help her. She had Miranda, Amy and Catherine who had promised they would help her through every step, but Carolyn was… well she was Carolyn. And Meredith couldn't help but smile as she thought about how she lucked out on having such a great mother in the end.

"Good morning Mom," Meredith said as she walked up to the counter and grabbed herself a glass of milk and took a seat next to her mother.

Carolyn looked up from newspaper she was reading and just shook her head. "They're announcing rain for the next seven days! Seven days!"

Meredith laughed. "Welcome to Seattle in September and October."

"How can you guys live with all this icky weather?"

Meredith shrugged. "You get used to it I guess."

Carolyn smiled. "Good morning to you too. How was it sleeping in your own bed again?"

Meredith couldn't express how good it felt to have slept in her bed again. Although she was getting used to hospital beds, she couldn't say she enjoyed them. "It feels great to be home period."

"Speaking of home," Carolyn went and changed the subject, "Derek tells me your house on the cliff is coming along quite well."

Meredith nodded. "The house itself is done. Right now they're just doing the isolation, wiring, plumbing, that stuff."

Carolyn nodded. "Soon enough you'll be able to move in."

"We're hoping to get in there before the babies are born," Meredith said.

"It would be nice, wouldn't it? Get settled in and ready in your new home rather than having to move with the babies."

"It definitely would."

Carolyn seemed to enjoy switching the topics this morning, and she continued by changing the subject again.

"Have you and Derek thought of any names yet?" she asked.

Meredith nodded as she took a sip of her milk. "We have a few in mind, but we're keeping them secret until we've decided for sure."

Carolyn smiled. "Two new grandbabies. That'll make seventeen."

Meredith laughed. "Are you competing against someone for the most grandkids?"

Carolyn joined in to the laughter. "Not really, but I love having all these grandkids to spoil." She paused before she continued. "What about godparents? And has Derek told you about baptism in our family?"

"Slow down!" Meredith said with a giggle. "You'll have plenty of time for all these questions over the next few weeks. You don't need to ask all one hundred and one of them this morning."

Carolyn sighed. "I know, I know. I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about, but I've been up for barely ten minutes and already I've done enough talking for today." She paused to take in Carolyn's reaction. "I'm kidding," she added. "And yes, Derek has told me that he wants to bring the twins to New York to get baptized and yes, we've been thinking about godparents."

Carolyn smiled. She opened her mouth, but closed it again.

Meredith couldn't help but let out another chuckle. "You want to know who, right?"

Carolyn smirked. "You know me too well."

Meredith grabbed her glass and put it beside the sink, then headed towards the living room. Carolyn followed, cup of coffee in hand. They sat on the couch, and Meredith decided she'd made the woman wait long enough.

"We've already decided Mark will be our son's godfather," Meredith said. "As for his godmother, we haven't decided between Lexie and Cristina. Cristina is after all my person, but Lexie is my sister and she's marrying Mark, which in a way, it would make sense to make her the godmother, but I don't want to hurt Cristina."

Carolyn nodded. "I know what you mean. My girls all had the same problem when it came to baptizing their firsts, and seconds. Even now. They don't want to leave anyone out, yet there were six of them to choose from, including Mark. Plus they had their closest friends and their husbands' brothers and sisters and friends. Have you talked to Cristina?"

Meredith shook her head. "No, not yet. But I will soon. I have to."

Carolyn smiled. "What about your daughter?"

Meredith couldn't help but let the smile come out, even though she was still trying to figure out how to talk to Cristina about being the godmother. "She was the easy one. Addison was the obvious choice for the godmother the moment she saved her."

"How did Derek feel about that?" Carolyn asked, hesitantly.

"He thought it was absolutely the most appropriate option, considering all that she's done for me and the babies. He couldn't think of a better way to thank her."

"And the godfather?"

"Well it was tough at first to decide, since other than Jackson and Alex, there weren't very many other guys to choose from. But I couldn't do that without making Cristina or Izzie the godmothers. And then there was Sam, who again, is with Addie and should be the obvious choice, but I didn't know him all that well. But Derek and I both came to the same conclusion when we talked about it just the other night that Sam would in fact be the godfather, since he is now my hero, as everyone says."

Carolyn seemed puzzled. "Your hero?" she asked.

Meredith nodded. "He's the one who found me unconscious and brought me to the hospital. If it hadn't of been for him, who knows what would have happened to me."

"Oh Meredith," Carolyn said with a small smile. "He sounds perfect for the job."

Meredith smiled. "I know, that's why I chose him."

Just then, the front door opened and Meredith was surprised when she saw Derek come through the doors.

"Derek? I thought you were working today?"

Derek came over and gave his mother a kiss on the cheek, then gave Meredith a quick kiss before kissing her stomach. This made Carolyn giggle slightly.

"It's your first day home!" he exclaimed as he sat down beside her and pulled her in closer to him. "Do you really think I would be anywhere else than by your side?"

"How come you didn't tell me?"

"I wanted to surprise you," he said as he rubbed her shoulders.

"Maybe mom and I had made plans for today and don't want you to come along," Meredith said as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Mom knew I was staying home today. She was still awake when Richard had called last night telling me he'd cover for me today if I wanted to spend the day with you, unlike some people…"

"Derek Shepherd, are you trying to make me angry with you?" she asked, pulling away from his embrace and turned towards him, 'not too impressed' written across her face.

"Now why would I do that?" he asked, teasing clear in his voice.

"I'm carrying your babies and it's you and your man penis' fault that I'm much more tired than I used to be. I can't stay up all night just to please you anymore."

Derek's expression was so full of surprise, it was priceless. He hadn't expected any of that. His _mother_ was sitting right beside them.

"I couldn't have said that better myself," Carolyn said, and both she and Meredith burst out laughing when Derek's expression went from surprise, to downright total shock. _Had his mother just said that?_

"Oh Derek, you're just too easy," Meredith said as she found her way back into his embrace. It took him a few seconds to register what had just happened, and his arms found their way around her waist. Her baby bump poked out of her tank top, and Derek couldn't help but think about how beautiful she looked pregnant.

"She's good," Carolyn said. "No other woman would have possibly been able to embarrass you to the point where you were speechless. The Derek Shepherd I know always had something to say."

Even with the instigation, Derek still didn't know what to say. His mind was no longer on Meredith's comment about him and his man penis. No, his mind was on what him and his man penis had contributed to their life, and for that, he had no way of expressing how grateful he was.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Richard! Not who I was expecting to see," Mark said as he came into the chief's office. Derek was who he had been looking for, and since it was in fact his office, he thought he might find him here. But finding Richard wasn't what he had expected.

"Sloan, I see you're in a good mood," Richard said as he played with the pencils and pens on the desk. He didn't have much to do. Derek had picked the right day to take off.

"Am I ever," Mark said with smile. "Carolyn's here, Meredith is A-Okay and Derek isn't dead yet from all the worry. Life is good." Mark sat down in the chair in front of Richard.

"Are you here for any specific reason?" Richard asked.

Mark shook his head. "Nope. I was planning on chatting with my best friend while he worked on what he calls 'surgery,' which is basically nothing more than operating a pen and staying awake. I have a surgery in an hour, and nothing to do until then. Slow days are good days."

Richard laughed. "Well I've got no paperwork to do, and come to think of it, it is pretty lonely all the way over here. I could use a good hour with someone to talk to."

Mark laughed. "You know what? That sounds like a good idea. I mean, it's bound to happen any day now that Derek picks Addie over me for his best friend since she's saved Meredith multiple times. He owes her the position of best friend now. And then I'll be best friendless. But I've got you, right?"

Richard couldn't help but laugh. He wasn't used to seeing the other side of a lot of his fellow coworkers until the wedding had happened. Everything seemed to have changed so drastically since those few weeks. But they were better this way. Much better.

"You've got me Sloan," Richard said. "And Derek would never replace you anyway. Addie's his best friend too, but she'll never be his brother."

"Yeah," Mark said. "Besides, I've got way to much crap on him so he'll never be able to replace me without his secrets being unveiled."

Richard gave him a questioning look. "How much crap does he have on you?"

Mark paused, and when he came up short of an answer, he shrugged. "I guess that isn't the greatest plan."

"Probably not, but if Derek has another secret wife somewhere, that would be something you should tell us."

Mark shook his head. "You think I'd remember being his best man three times. Two was enough."

Richard nodded. "Two will be all. Him and Meredith aren't just any other couple. They're Meredith and Derek. Nothing will tear them apart."

"I hope it'll be the same for Lex and I. I want that, what Derek and Meredith have."

"You and Lexie will be as happy as can be," Richard said with a smile. "I can see it."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Addison was just getting out of surgery when her phone rang. Not recognizing the number, she answered with caution.

"Hello?" she said, as she walked down to the attending's lounge. She was hoping she'd find Mark or Richard there, needing to empty out the blur in her mind. Things had been a little crazy for her since the day Meredith had been admitted unconscious. She had had lots of terrible thoughts, ones of Derek having to raise both children as a single parent, of Meredith on a ventilator until the babies were born, then the moment they had to take away her life, of Derek neglecting his new born children because of the loss of his wife. Usually Addie was the positive one, the one who always saw the best case scenario. But Meredith was really worrying her and she didn't know what had gotten into her. She pushed the thoughts away though, since Meredith was awake and alive as can be.

She remembered she was on the phone when a voice finally came over the other line. "Addison, it's Miranda…"

"Miranda! Where are you ? You've had me worrying about you, along with Meredith and Sam for the past week! All of you are enough to make my go grey in no time!"

She heard a small laugh at the other end. "I'm back at the hospital, have been since yesterday."

"Have you talked to Derek? Meredith's okay, she's home now, and she's recovering fine – "

"I actually talked to her yesterday, so yes I know. And Derek knows I'm back. But I need you for a consult."

Addison was puzzled. "Why didn't you just page me?"

"Because, I needed to talk to you. Paging you seemed… inappropriate in this case."

Addie didn't understand, but she didn't ask. "Okay then. Where are you?"

"I'm in the waiting area of the OB wing," she whispered.

"Miranda, why do I have a feeling you're hiding something?"

"I'll answer any questions you have when you get here."

With that, Addie hung up and made her way to her floor. Getting onto the not so empty elevator, she ran into Jackson and Lexie.

"Addison, have you heard from Meredith today?" Jackson asked as soon as she saw him. He was sure Cristina had probably talked to her best friend, but Jackson hadn't gotten the chance to talk to his girlfriend since he had left that morning before sunrise. Cristina had the day off, so there wasn't even the chance that he would run into her at the hospital. As for Lexie, she had just gotten out of surgery with Arizona, so she hadn't had the chance to call Meredith yet for an update.

"No, I haven't," Addie admitted. "But I'm sure she is fine. She's got Carolyn."

The two nodded just as the door opened on the OB floor. "I'll see you two later," she called out as she nearly rushed off the elevator car.

"I wonder what's gotten into her," Lexie mumbled to Jackson as the doors closed over again.

Addison didn't have any trouble finding Miranda in one of the hidden corners of the waiting room. She was flipping through a medical journal, and Addie knew right away that Miranda wasn't Dr Bailey right now. She was the patient.

She got up quietly and followed Addison to one of the many empty check-up rooms. Once the door was shut, Addison gave Miranda a great big hug.

"Congratulations!" she exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" Bailey asked, putting her 'you're scaring me, not really' look on, the one she used to use on her interns when she knew they were up to something.

"I mean, you're… you know…"

"Dr Montgomery, I thought we were trained not to jump to conclusions…"

Addie seemed shocked. "You're not pregnant?"

Miranda rolled her eyes. "Why else would we be in a check-up room just the two of us? I'm pretty sure you don't have appendicitis or anything else that would require a general surgeon. So it looks like I must be the patient."

"So you are pregnant?" Addie asked. She was still a little confused.

"Of course I'm pregnant!" Miranda exclaimed with a laugh. "You're too easy Addison Montgomery."

"That's great Miranda! How long have you known? Does Ben know?"

"Yes, he knows and he's thrilled, so that makes things a little easier on me. And I've known since the day… with Meredith… that had been an overwhelming day."

Addie nodded as she tossed Miranda a gown. "Let's see how things are going."

Once Miranda had changed and was lying across the table, Addie started the check-up. "So why come get a check-up so soon? I mean, most people wait a little while, let it sink in. But…"

"I was told that with the amount of stress I had been in last week that I should get one done as soon as possible."

"Ben told you this?"

Miranda laughed. "Ben doesn't know a thing about pregnancy. Meredith told me this. She called me this morning, telling me that we were switching positions. She would be the protective mother bear and I would be the patient."

Addison was caught by surprise. "Meredith knows?"

Miranda nodded. "She found me throwing up in the bathroom yesterday morning as she was being released. She looked at me and made the first comment about how things had been reversed. I swear, if I end up going through the things she's going through, I will crack."

Addison shook her head. "I don't know how she's still standing. She blows my mind."

Miranda sighed. "She's got one hell of a tough life, but she's also got a great man at her side to make sure nothing happens."

Addie nodded. "She couldn't have been any luckier than to end up with Derek. He'll never give up on her. Even when things get tough, he will always try to find a solution. He'll make the most amazing father."

Miranda looked up to Addison and noticed the look in her eye. "Something's bugging you, isn't it?"

Addie nodded. "When we first got married, I told Derek I didn't want kids. He tried to make it seem like he didn't care, but I knew that it had hurt him. I finally had wanted kids in the end, but it was too late. And I realize now, that maybe if we had kids, we would still be together, and things would probably have been miserable. I had hated myself for such a longtime for not having given Derek the kids he deserved, but I realize now that it was all for the best. He'll be the dad he's deserved to be, and he'll be with the woman he loves. Fate can sometimes show us what our brains don't seem to realize."

Miranda smiled up to Addie. "Sam is going to make an amazing father."

Addie couldn't help the smile that slipped onto her lips. "So will Ben."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I'm telling you Cristina, I've never seen Derek so dumbstruck. It was priceless!"

It was nearing lunchtime and Cristina had decided to call her person to see how she was doing. She was expecting her to be tired and sore, maybe even a little sad, or mad, or who knows what. She had read somewhere that some people came out of situations like Meredith's in quite a state, but Meredith seemed just as normal as she usually was. Well, as normal as she had become in the past six months.

"I've been waiting for the day," Cristina said with a laugh. "Wish I could have witnessed that."

Meredith giggled. "You would have definitely had something to say."

"And how did Carolyn react? About your comment about his man penis?"

Meredith couldn't help but let out another chuckle. "She said that she couldn't have said it better herself. I swear Cristina, Carolyn likes me better now."

"Does not," Cristina heard Derek mumble in the background.

"Anyway," Cristina ignored him, "I was wondering if maybe you'd want to keep me company this afternoon, I mean, if you don't have any plans with the fam."

"I'm just about to head out for lunch with Carolyn and Derek, but we have no plans after that. And I'm sure they want some time alone together anyway, so it'll give them some time away from me."

Derek mumbled something in the background, but Cristina couldn't quite make it out.

"I'll text you later with a time," Meredith said quickly. "It looks like Derek can't stay away long enough for me to have a decent phone call."

Cristina snorted. "Good luck with the husband."

"I'll need it."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I don't get why you've got yourself so frustrated with this," Amy said as she and Lexie were eating lunch, joined by Mark and Jackson who were in line waiting for their food. Alex had been with them just moments before, but he had been paged by Arizona and was off in a heartbeat. Although he didn't seem it, everyone knew Alex had a soft spot for the kids.

"It's just, Izzie's about to drive me crazy with the fact that I haven't decided what color flowers I want. I mean, they're flowers. I didn't think it would be a huge deal if I told her flower color didn't bother me as long as they were pretty. But no! She's gone all wild on me, telling me if I don't decide soon, I won't get what I wanted. But I don't know what I want!"

She grunted in frustration and fell back on her chair, arms wrapped around her chest. Mark chose that moment to approach with his tray.

"What's wrong Lex?" he asked, genuine concern written across his face. Amy stifled a giggle, as to not add to the situation.

"I can't figure out what stupid color I want our flowers to be."

Mark went wide eyed and Amy couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Your expression is priceless," she said as she laughed. "Izzie wants Lexie to decide what color the flowers should be, but Lexie just wants them to be nice. Izzie doesn't seem to understand that not everything is of number one priority."

Mark just shook his head and looked at Lexie. "You can't go wrong with lighter colors. Whites, light pinks, light purples, yellows… they always add a light to the party."

The woman's shocked expressions were what Jackson walked into.

"What did I miss?" he asked, taking in all of the expressions. Mark's was full of pride as the woman puzzled over how he had known how to answer to Lexie's dilemma.

"I just blew their minds away with my knowledge on color coordination and flowers," Mark explained with a satisfactory grin. "They didn't realize that I had depth."

Jackson looked back and forth between the girls and Mark, then laughed. "Haha that's a good one. What really happened?"

The girls, finally out of their trance, laughed as Mark pulled out his pout.

"I believe you have depth," Lexie said as she stole a kiss. "And I think your idea is wonderful. I'll text Izzie now."

"Tell her it was my idea," Mark said as he watched over her shoulder as Lexie texted their wedding planner.

"No point. She'll never believe me."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Addie and Miranda had spent a good chunk of the morning discussing everything and nothing. Their worries when it came to becoming parents, again for Miranda, and Addie for her first, the joys of the past few months, the scares they had lived through. If Miranda had to pick one person besides Ben she felt most comfortable with, it would be Addison. The two women had created a bond during Addie's time with them before she had gone to LA. Their bond had just gotten stronger since she had been back.

It was lunch when Addison had gotten paged. A woman was being brought in after her water broke and she had fainted in the mall. The first thought that passed through her head was that it was Meredith, but she knew somebody would be with her, so it couldn't be her. Besides, when she reached the ambulance, a young girl no older than nineteen was wheeled out.

"She became conscious during the ambulance ride," the paramedic informed her.

"Thanks," Addie replied while rolling in the girl. She looked down to her. "I'm Dr Montgomery," she introduced herself. "We are going to have to deliver your baby now."

"No, you can't," she said as she shook her head. "You can't."

Addison knew the poor girl was probably scared to death, but her baby had decided it was coming out today, so it was coming out today.

"Your baby wants to come out now; we can't make it change its mind."

Addie looked down at her patient and noticed that she didn't look all that nervous or scared. _Weird,_ she thought. _Why is she reacting like this then?_

As if reading her mind, her patient answered her question. "I'm saying _you _can't. You said you were Dr Montgomery. You can't deliver my baby."

Addison felt almost insulted. What had this young woman heard about her that would make her want another doctor? She was the best at this hospital. Why didn't she want her?

"I assure you," she said, a little dumbstruck. "You'll have great treatment if you stay in my –"

The young woman interrupted her. "No it's not that I don't think you're good or anything. I've heard and read plenty of great things about you and that's why you can't be my doctor. You can't deliver your own son."

_Deliver my own son…_

She was about to become a mom.

**I'm so so sorry it took me forever to update. Life has been so busy and terribly suckish lately that fanfic hasn't been my main priority, but hopefully I'll be able to update faster now that things seem to be calming down... sorta.**

**Anyway... Yeah for Addie and Sam ! More surprises to come ! Read, Review, Enjoy !**


	45. All Shook Up

**AHHH ! I want to start off by saying I'm absolutely totally and terribly sorry for the long wait. I had some very hectic months and didn't have much time to breathe let alone update a story, but things have calmed down and have gone back to normal. **

**In order to make it up to you guys, I'm posting two chapters today of _Ever Ever After_ and I will also be updating _Not So Strangers. _I hope you guys will forgive me and not give up yet !**

**SORRY !**

"Sam," Addie said breathlessly over the phone. After her patient had announced that she was her baby's birth mother, everything was a blur. Details, at least, had all been forgotten. But Addison remembered what happened in general.

Dr Peterson had been paged and after getting Marissa, their patient, settled in, got Catherine, who ended up being the nurse, to go talk to Addie.

"Addison, go get out of your scrubs, you're no longer a doctor at this moment. " Addie had done so and was now outside Marissa's room. She was so nervous about becoming a mom, she had completely forgotten about Sam. Luckily, Catherine had suggested she call him.

"Addie," he said sweetly on the other end. "What are you up to?"

"Sam, you need to get to the hospital. We're about to meet our son."

There was a short silence at the other end of the line, followed by the excited sound of Sam's voice. "Addison, we're about to be parents!" he exclaimed.

Addie nodded to herself. "I know! It feels so unreal!"

"I'll be there in no more than twenty minutes. I'm at the Inn, so hopefully the traffic won't be too bad."

"Hurry!" she exclaimed as the two of them hung up. She paced up and down the hallway until she realized pacing didn't help any. She sat down in one of the visitor chairs placed against the wall until Miranda found her.

"Addie, what happened?" Miranda asked when she noticed the nervous look on her friend's face. "Is it someone you know?"

Addie shook her head. "Not really. Miranda, I'm about to be a mom!"

Miranda smiled brightly. "It looks like today isn't going to stop surprising us!"

She took a seat beside her friend and when she noticed Addie's leg shaking she rested her hand on it. "Today's a beautiful day for a new life."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"It doesn't feel like I was asleep all that long," Meredith explained to her person when she had asked about how it felt being unconscious for nearly a week. "I thought it had only been a few hours, a day at the most. But once I took in everyone's relieved expressions and realized that I couldn't talk because my throat was so dry, I knew it was longer than I had thought it had been. But I don't feel the least bit depressed or whatever else you're worried about. I feel like myself."

Cristina nodded. She still was completely convinced that it hadn't affected her friend at all. She was out for an awful long time.

"Meredith, you know, if there's anything on your mind, you can tell me…"

Meredith rolled her eyes. "You don't believe me," she stated. "I swear Cristina, you're almost worst than Derek. I don't get why you guys are all so hovery lately."

"Because we're worried about you Meredith!" Cristina burst out. "It's feels like you could break at any moment. You're always on the edge of a crisis and I can't handle it anymore! When I know you're alone, or I'm not sure where you are or who you are with, I worry about you! I never know whether you're safe or not because all terrible things seem to happen to you, and I worry constantly about whether something horrible is going to happen. And you're reaching your due date. And you could burst, yet you don't seem too worried. You don't see what we see, and that worries me too! Meredith, I love you, and I don't want anything to happen to you."

Cristina was pacing at this point, and Meredith thought she saw a tear fall down her cheek. But she stayed quiet, not sure how to react to that.

"So please Meredith, if something is wrong, tell me, because I don't want to feel like I could've prevented an incident if something terrible were to happen right now but I couldn't do anything because you wouldn't open up to me."

Meredith nodded. "Cristina, if there was something wrong, I wouldn't hesitate to tell you. I know I can count on you, so if there was something going on, I assure you, you'd know. But I swear, I feel fine."

Cristina took a breath and sat down beside her friend.

"But you on the other hand… are you okay? I mean you never get this wrapped up in things. I never even thought you cared much about anything –"

Cristina looked over at her in almost a glare. "Don't care? Meredith, I've cried more these past few months than I have in my entire life because I care about you. You keep scaring me and I never know if I'm going to wake up without you… Of course I care…"

Meredith still couldn't believe all this sudden outburst of emotion. Then something clicked.

"Oh my god Cristina, are you pregnant?"

Cristina looked at her. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

"Everyone?" Meredith asked.

"Lexie and Izzie have both asked me that in the past month and Derek seemed pretty convinced I was when Amy had brought it up."

"You are, aren't you?"

"No! I'm not!" Cristina spun around towards her friend. "You're enough to handle pregnant. I don't think anyone could handle us both pregnant at the same time."

"You sure?" Meredith asked. "I mean, about not being pregnant?"

Cristina nodded. "I'm absolutely positive Meredith. I did my own blood test."

Meredith watched as Cristina pulled herself into her little bubble. "You did your own blood test? That means you thought you were pregnant too?"

Cristina shrugged. "Everyone around me made me think that maybe it was true. So I checked so I'd be able to assure them I wasn't."

Meredith noticed the sadness in Cristina's eyes. "You wanted it to be positive, didn't you?" Meredith asked softly.

Cristina stayed silent. Finally she looked up and Meredith noticed the water building in her eyes. "Oh Cristina," she said as she pulled her person in for a hug. "It'll happen someday."

When they let go of each other, Cristina took a deep breath before talking. "For just a moment, I thought about what it would be like to be pregnant. And I couldn't help but be happy. Things are good right now, and if it had of happened, I knew I'd be able to handle it. Deep down, I knew I wanted it, but then, when the blood test came back negative…"

"Does Jackson know how you feel?" Meredith asked. She knew about the ring Jackson had hiding. If he knew how Cristina felt, it wouldn't be long before they'd have another wedding to plan and more pregnancies to suffer through. But Cristina shook her head slowly.

"It's so fast," she had to admit. "And I'm afraid that he'll think it's too early to start all this. But if it had of been an accident, I know he wouldn't have bailed. And I know he wouldn't have just stayed around for the kid. He loves me, I know that but… do you think it's too fast?"

Meredith smiled. "I don't think there's a too fast. The heart wants what the heart wants."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Two and a half more months Derek," Carolyn said as they sat at a table near the back of the small café, Derek and Meredith's favorite. He had taken his mother here when she had been home for the wedding and family reunion, and she had enjoyed it, so he thought it would be a nice idea to take her back.

"I know," Derek said, and his mother saw the smile build on his lips. "It's incredible, unbelievable."

Carolyn looked him in the eye. "Are you ready?"

Derek didn't hesitate with his answer. "I've been ready since the beginning."

Carolyn sighed. "I don't want to make you lose hope, but I know about all the things that could go wrong, and all the possibilities of complications and –"

Derek took his mother's hand. "I know about them too. I've talked to Addie over and over again, I've talked to other doctors, I've researched it, I've done everything I could possibly do to find a way around it, and do you know what the only way so far is to avoid for the most part complications like the ones Meredith is having?"

Carolyn shook her head.

"Staying positive. Laughing a lot. Spending time around loved ones. Not wallowing in our misery. And that's what we've been doing. Meredith has been through a lot since the beginning of it all, and Addison admitted to me that any other patient would have lost their baby long ago, but Meredith kept a smile on her face and all the positive thoughts possible in her mind. And she rubbed off on me. She knows things are going to be tough, and she's not ignoring it. She just prefers not to think about it. And it helps her, not only in the moment, but in the long run. So I've learnt to stay positive too. And if you're planning on staying around for the next two and a half months of Meredith's pregnancy, you will too."

Carolyn smiled. "Of course, anything I can do. And I know how important positivity and optimism is in a case like this, It can make all the difference."

Derek nodded. "It can."

Just then he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He checked the caller ID and when he noticed the hospital number, he grunted.

"I'm not working today. I have the day off," he said to whoever was on the other line.

"Derek," he recognized Richard's voice. "This has nothing to do with your job."

The first thought that went through Derek's mind was that something had happened to Meredith. _So much for optimism._ But Richard didn't sound the least bit worried or sad. He almost sounded, cheerful.

"Okay then, what is this about?" he asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Addison and Sam are about to become parents!"

Derek let out a breath of relief then felt the joy for his friend rise in him. "That's great! How's Addie handling it?"

Richard laughed. "I've never seen her as nervous as she looks right now. She needs you and Mark right now."

"Tell her I'll be there in about ten minutes," Derek said as he hung up.

"What's going on?" Carolyn asked as soon as Derek had hung up.

"Addison is about to become a mom!"

Carolyn seemed confused. "She's not pregnant, is she?"

Derek then remembered that his mother didn't know about the adoption. "No, she and Sam had signed up for adoption, thinking it would be several years before they would find someone for them. But a young mother found them to be the perfect parents for her baby, so it happened faster than they had expected. And now, their baby is about to arrive."

Carolyn nodded to show that she understood. "Let's go!" she exclaimed.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Mark had been in the middle of his second surgery of the day when Derek had tried to call him. He didn't know whether he was already with Addie or not, but he wanted to get a hold of one of them to see how things were going. But Mark had turned off his cell before going into surgery, so he hadn't heard it. He didn't even know what was going on outside of the OR he was in.

"Dr Grey," he said as they were scrubbing out. "You've become very promising for a bright future in plastics."

She rinsed her hands off and didn't even look up at her attending. "I know, but I've got better interests."

"Better than plastic?" Mark seemed shocked. "What could be better than plastics?"

Lexie laughed. "There is much more to life than what meets the eye. Besides, I've been on Dr Montgomery's services quite often lately and Neo-Natal is fascinating."

"Baby's?" Mark asked, a devilish smile playing on his lips.

"Other people's sick babies. It's sad, but they're fighters. It's amazing. It gives me hope for Meredith."

Lexie dried her hands off then reached into her scrub top pocket and found her engagement ring. Mark glanced over as she slid it onto her ring finger.

"Engaged? he asked.

Lexie laughed. "Yes, for a little while now."

Mark smiled. "That's one lucky man."

"He seems to believe he's pretty lucky, and cool, but I see right through him. I sometimes wonder what I see in him…"

Mark shook his head and had a devilish grin on his face. "Oh that's it," he said as he trapped her with his arms against the sink. "You know you wouldn't want to be with anyone else."

Lexie smirked and shrugged. "I'm sure there's always someone else I could –"

She didn't manage to finish her sentence. Mark's lips had come crashing down on hers and she felt his hands on her lower back, almost on her waist line.

The kiss was sensational. She had never felt such an electrifying kiss. It was filled with love and tenderness, full of promises for the future, but it was also strong and passionate, showing her that she was with a man who would be there for her no matter what. She didn't care about what people thought of him. She didn't care about his past. Right now, Mark Sloan was one of the best men she knew, and she couldn't help but feel lucky that he was all hers.

"Uh hmm," a voice came from the doorway. Lexie blushed as Mark pulled away. But when she noticed the person standing in the doorway, she felt all at once relieved.

"Derek!" Mark exclaimed. "What are you doing here? Richard told me you had taken the day off."

Derek nodded. "I did. That's why I'm not here as a doctor. I'm here as a visitor. Well, more of a moral supporter."

"For who? What happened? Who's here?"

Clearly, Mark hadn't heard anything.

"Addie's baby is about to be born," Derek said with a smile. "I was sent to find you before heading to see Addie. Apparently Sam just got here, so they needed a few moments anyway."

"That's incredible!" Mark exclaimed as Lexie felt his grip tighten around her hand. "Let's go see her!"

They walked out into the hallway and once they were back into the more public area of the hospital, Carolyn joined them.

"It's good to see you in better circumstances," Mark said as he embraced the older woman as they made their way towards the maternity ward. "I betch'a Meredith is glad that you're around."

"Meredith," Derek exclaimed. "I forgot to call her and tell her the good news!"

Mark then realized that that meant that she wasn't with them. Lexie had read his mind.

"Where is she?"

"She's with Cristina," Derek assured them. "Girl time."

They both nodded. Lexie knew that Meredith definitely needed the girl time with her person. She was just hoping she'd get her chance with her sister before too long. It felt like the two of them were drifting apart too.

But she knew they would never drift apart. They were sisters. And they would stay sisters.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Cristina," Meredith started, not sure how to ask her friend this. She knew she needed to bring it up sooner or later, but she just wasn't sure how. "I need to talk to you about something."

Cristina smirked. "It's about the godparent thing, isn't it?"

Meredith was dumbstruck. "How did you know?"

Cristina shrugged. "I knew you were having trouble figuring out who to pick, and it's coming to a time where you need to pick. And your expression changed so quickly that I knew it would be something you had difficulty talking about. So it was my best guess."

"When did you get so good at reading people?" Meredith asked.

Cristina smirked. "I'm just good at reading you. I know you too well." She smiled. "And don't worry about it. I know how much trouble you're having deciding between me and Lexie, and since Mark is the godfather, it would make sense for it to be Lex. And that way, when you have another kid sometime down the road, you can make me and Jackson the godparents, rather than making it me and Mark godparents this time, and Lexie and Jackson next time. It's the logical choice."

Meredith nodded. "I never thought of it that way. About how it would obviously be you and Jackson. So you're okay with it?"

Cristina nodded. "It doesn't bother me the least bit."

Meredith let out a breath. "That was easier than I had expected."

Just then, her phone started ringing. She knew it was Derek before she even had the chance to pull out the phone by the personalized ringtone. _Forever, _by Chris Brown rang out through the room.

Cristina laughed. "Seriously?"

Meredith shrugged. "He picked it." She answered. "Hello?"

"Meredith, you need to get to the hospital!" Derek exclaimed. She couldn't tell whether something was wrong or not, Derek seemed so out of breath.

"Why, what happened?"

"Addie and Sam's baby is on the way. Addie's a nervous wreck. She could use all the support she can get."

"We're on our way," Meredith announced as she hung up.

"What's wrong?" Cristina asked as soon as Meredith pulled the phone away from her ear.

"Nothing's wrong. Everything is good, for once."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Addie! How are you holding up?" Derek asked as he approached. Addison's head shot up and she noticed her numerous visitors. Mark, Lexie and Carolyn weren't far behind Derek.

"I'm nervous," she admitted with a small laugh. "But Miranda and Sam have been keeping me calm."

Sam laughed. "_Trying _to keep her calm," he corrected. "But I don't think I've ever seen her this nervous before."

Derek took a look at his best friend and laughed. "I don't think _I've _ever seen her this nervous, and that's saying something."

The others all laughed too.

"You excited at least?" Mark asked as he got closer.

"I'm… there's no words to describe how excited I am," Addie said with a bright smile as she shifted her attention to Sam. "This is it," she said as Sam took her hand. "It's amazing to think about all that changes today," Addie said as she looked at her friends. "Today, I become responsible for a tiny little life, make sure he grows up in a healthy stable home, that he learns all the things he'll need to learn to get through life, and most of all, that he is loved unconditionally."

Derek decided he'd change the subject for a little while. "While we're waiting, do you want to go discuss your time off for maternity leave?"

Addison looked up at Sam who smiled. She then looked back to Derek. "I think it can wait a little while," she said, which puzzled Derek. "Sam and I have discussed it, and we've decided that he'll take leave for now, since the Inn closes in a few weeks anyway, and I'll take some leave in a few months. I mean, other than a few days now to get everything settled in. I want to be at the hospital for the next few months."

Derek didn't catch on, but Carolyn and Lexie had. They exchanged a knowing look.

"Addison, I assure you we can survive here at the hospital without you for a little while. The hospital will be fine without you," Derek added with a laugh.

"It's not the hospital I'm worried about. It's a certain someone that will be in it soon enough."

Derek finally understood. She was staying for Meredith. "Addie, you have no idea how much I appreciate it, but you know you don't have to do that," he said. "We can page you when she goes into labor, and you'd get to stay home with your son. You don't need to –"

"I do Derek," she cut him off. "I want to keep an eye on her, I want to make sure with my own eyes that she is alright. If something were to happen while I was at home, I wouldn't forgive myself. I made a commitment, and it'll stand until the day she is released from the hospital and the two of us can go home to our families."

Derek was nearly in tears by how much Addie cared. He couldn't believe it.

"But since Meredith won't be at the hospital for the next week or so, I'd like to have that time off to get used to the idea that there's an extra person in the house."

Derek nodded. "That shouldn't be a problem." Meredith was due back at work in two Wednesdays, October sixth to be exact. But she was on a strict probation. She couldn't scrub in, only watch from the gallery. She wasn't allowed to participate in any trauma cases. She had to be working with a designated person, and that person would always be someone from the group. And she had to check in with either Addison or Derek every few hours. The last one had been Derek's rule, not Addie's.

Her time would mostly be focused on charts and research. But she didn't want to fall behind, so she'd do anything as long as she could learn something and stay practiced. Addison didn't think it would affect her any, to be at work, as long as she always had someone by her side. And from this day on, she wasn't allowed to be alone. Someone always had to be around. They didn't want something to happen like the last time…

"It looks like you've already got quite the support group."

Everyone turned around and noticed the newcomers. Meredith and Cristina joined the group, smiles on both of their faces.

"What did we miss?" Meredith asked as Derek pulled her in close.

He kissed her head. "We were talking about you," he answered.

"Oh yeah?"

Derek nodded. "Yeah."

Meredith looked around to the others. "What?" she asked.

"We love you Meredith," Lexie said.

Everyone laughed at her puzzled expression.

"What Lexie is trying to say, is that we want you to know that you're very special to us and that we want to make sure everything is okay with you," Addie explained. "Derek asked me about leave, but I told him I'd be sticking around until I knew you and the babies were okay."

Meredith was touched. "Addie, you don't have to –"

"Stop Meredith. I've already had this argument with Derek. I've decided and nothing will change my mind."

Just then, Catherine came out of the patient's room and laughed as she noticed the crowd. "You're a popular person," she commented.

"How's it going?" Addie asked.

"She is five centimeters dilated and her contractions are about five minutes apart. She's asking to see you and Sam."

Addie nodded. She turned to Sam. "You ready?"

Sam all of a sudden was the nervous one. "I'll be there in a few minutes," he answered. Addie nodded.

Once she had gone into Marissa's room, Sam started pacing.

"Calm down," Mark instructed as he rested his hands on Sam's shoulders. "Breathe."

Sam nodded. "I'm freaking out. This is it. A baby. A…"

Mark smiled. "Everything is going to be fine. You're ready, you just don't think you are. Once you're holding that baby, all of your worries about parenthood will float away. You'll feel so amazed that nothing else but your little boy will matter. He'll take every negative thought from your mind and put a great big smile on your face. Nothing else will matter."

Sam nodded. "I'm okay. I can do this." He then laughed. "I'll end up giving you the same speech you know, when it's Lexie in there and you're waiting for your child."

Mark smiled, then turned to Lexie who was now bright red and in shock. "I'm sure I'll have a bunch of people on my case," he said as he looked at Derek and Meredith, and then back to Sam. "But let's wait and see if we can make it through you and Addie, then Meredith and Derek before we get into any more details about that."

Everyone laughed, except for Lexie who still couldn't manage to do anything in that moment.

"You're marrying into the Shepherd family," Carolyn said as she put a reassuring hand on Lexie's shoulder. "It's bound to happen someday," she added with a chuckle.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"How are you feeling?" Addie asked the young girl that would soon be giving her so much.

"I just can't wait for it to be over," she admitted.

"That's what they all say," Addie said with a laugh.

Marissa smiled. "It took me a while to find the perfect family," she started. "The list had been very long, and I wanted nothing but the best for my son. When I found you guys, I knew right away that you were the ones I wanted. No doubt in my mind." She paused. "My dad was a surgeon, before he passed away. My mom and I have been alone for the last five years. We own a little family store, and if we don't get much business for a few weeks, we suffer big time from it. Another person was too much, especially a baby. And I want to live my life. I want to live my young adult years without having to worry about everything."

She was hit with contractions and Addie automatically grabbed her hand for her to squeeze.

"Thanks," she mumbled once the contraction had passed.

Addison smiled. "It's what I'm here for."

Marissa and Addie chatted about everything and nothing for a while. It was then that Addison noticed that she had nobody around.

"Are you alone?" she asked.

Marissa nodded. "My mom is out of town for the weekend and I have no other family other than my father's mom, but she lives in England and my aunt who also lives somewhere in Europe."

"What about your friends?" Addie asked.

Marissa shrugged. "They all went off to university and college. None of them stayed around."

Addie nodded sadly. "I'll be around," she then added which made the young girl smile.

The door suddenly opened and Sam came in with a smile.

"Marissa, this is my boyfriend Sam," Addison said with a smile.

"Nice to meet you," she said.

Conversation stayed light, and before they knew it, the moment they had all been waiting for had arrived.

**Stay tuned, we'll be right back with another chapter of _Ever Ever After _!**


	46. Baby Rings

**Chapter two for today ! I hope you guys enjoy this one (:**

September 24th 2010 turned out to be quite the day for Addison. It was the day she became a mom. She had never thought the day would come, but it did. And her son, her beautiful son was asleep in the tiny little bed. She smiled as she stared at him through the glass, Sam behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist. Today was a happy day.

"He's beautiful," Sam murmured into her ear. Addie just nodded, at a loss of words to describe the tiny little miracle that already had her wrapped around his finger. She just couldn't believe it. It was… amazing. Incredible. Unbelievable.

Marissa had had an easy labor, not too long, compared to a lot of the woman Addie saw coming through here. She had been very strong throughout the entire length of it, and Addison couldn't believe how strong some of these young women were. She had spent most of the day at her bedside, even after the baby was born and had been swept off to get the regular checkups. They had asked her if she wanted to hold him, but she refused, not wanting to get emotionally attached. Addison knew it hurt, to give up a living person whom you had been protecting inside of you. She couldn't quite relate to the situation Marissa was going through, but she had been through a similar situation. She knew it hurt, no matter what.

"Visiting hours are…" an intern who had quietly approached started. She trailed off once she had noticed that the visitor was in fact, one of her many superiors. Addie smiled.

"We were just leaving."

They turned to head out but weren't able to leave the hallway when they noticed the crowd coming towards them.

"We want to see him!" Mark exclaimed, head of the group. "Before you go, we want to see him."

Addie laughed as she turned back towards the glass that separated them from the nursery and pointed towards the left of the front row. "He's the third one from the end."

The women present, Lexie, Meredith and Callie all let out an 'aww," while the men, Mark, Derek, Richard and Jackson just smiled.

"He's beautiful," Meredith mumbled as tears came to her eyes.

"She's getting emotional now, I can't imagine her when she sees her own children," Mark said with a chuckle. Derek elbowed him, but he couldn't help but smile at the comment.

"He seems very healthy," Richard said, trying to keep any emotional thought away. He didn't want to let his emotions get in the way. He was a man.

But that didn't bother Derek.

"A tiny little miracle," he whispered as he too got a little teary eyed.

"Very tiny little bundle of happiness," Callie said with a giggle. "Addie…"

Addie smiled. "He's the new love of my life."

Mark chuckled slightly. "You just lost your woman Sam."

Sam shook his head. "I'm not losing anything. I'm just gaining so much. My life just got a whole lot better. Our life just started. This is the day that everything begins." He turned to Addie. "This is the day that our life begins. Our son, he's the reason today is the best day ever. This, is the reason there will never be a better day ever again." He pulled out a little velvet box from his back pocket as everyone let out small gasps and excited smiles appeared on all of the guests faces. Addison's was just one of shock. "Addison Montgomery, will you marry me?"

Addison's eyes filled with tears as she let out a small giggle. "There's no way I could say no." The others around chuckled as she nodded frantically. "Yes, yes… oh my goodness. I… I…"

Sam slid the engagement ring up her finger and stood up to give her a kiss.

"Not in front of those innocent little eyes," Mark scolded them, which made everyone laugh.

"Did I miss anything?" Miranda's voice interrupted their laughter.

"Nothing much," Addison said as she raised her left hand for Miranda to see.

"Congratulations!" she exclaimed as she gave her friend a great big hug. "What an amazing way to finish off such a great day!"

Everyone took turns giving both of the new parents/ newly engaged couple hugs and giving them their congratulations.

"He's an amazing guy," Derek said with a smile as he gave his best friend his McDreamy smile. "I couldn't have asked for a better guy for my best friend."

"Told ya," Mark mumbled to Richard which made him laugh.

"Derek…" Addie said with a smile.

Derek brought her in for a hug as Addison let the tears of joy flow. Being in Derek's arms didn't feel the least bit uncomfortable. She was engaged to the man she knew she was in love with, and Derek was married to the love of his life. They had maybe moved on from their terrible marriage, but their friendship stayed strong.

"But if ever he's an idiot and he hurts you," Derek said, loud enough so that Sam could hear him too, "I'll have to beat him up."

Addie laughed. "I wouldn't have it any other way. But Derek, you're the one who should be afraid. Meredith's list of supporters gets longer and longer every day. So you should watch yourself too."

Derek smirked. "I wouldn't have it any other way either."

Meredith interrupted the little exchange by pulling Addie from Derek and giving her a great big hug, one that took Addison a little bit by surprise.

"When I first met you," Meredith started with a smile, "I wanted nothing more than for you to go back from where you came from, to disappear, to not exist." Addie laughed, but Meredith continued. "Now I feel so thankful for having you by my side. You've helped me through the hardest moments in my life. You've given me hope, and you've had a big part in keeping me bright and shiny. I'm happy, and you take a big part in that. It's your turn to be happy, to feel like you've made me feel."

Addie wiped away the tears, and Meredith found herself crying to.

"We're both emotional wrecks," Addison commented as she smiled through the tears.

"I've been told they make us even more beautiful."

Derek and Sam watched as the woman in their lives chatted and cried. Everyone else besides them, Mark and Miranda had gone back to work after having said their words of congrats and got a quick peek at the little boy sleeping behind the glass. "She's special," Derek started. "And she's strong. She doesn't realize it, but she is. And she's trustworthy, even though she has had experiences that have proved otherwise. She has grown in the last few years, and it blows my mind at all the things that have changed in her. But she's an amazing woman, and I hope you treat her better than I did."

Sam nodded and looked at Derek. "Does it feel weird, watching the woman you shared your life with for a good part of your adult life move on? I mean, I know you're married again, and that you –"

Derek cut him off. "I feel nothing but joy when I see her happy. She's still one of my best friends, and even thought we've had a lot of rocky roads in our relationship, we've found our way back to the path of friendship and nothing could express how happy I am for her."

Mark joined the two men after having ripped his eyes off of the beautiful baby boy that had made this such an amazing day.

"Oh, and don't let Mark near her if you want to keep her," Derek added with a laugh.

"That hurt Derek," Mark said as he wrapped his arms on his chest. "I've matured and have learnt from my mistakes. I'm happy, as happy as the rest of you, and I would do nothing to ruin any of our happiness's."

Derek nodded. "I was kidding you know."

The woman had now disappeared, but the men still stood next to the nursery. They all turned towards the glass window and let the smiles that had been on their faces since they had come up here grow.

"Wow," Derek whispered, and the two other men nodded.

"It'll be your turn soon you know," Mark said as he patted his brother on the back.

"I know. I still can't get over how fast time has gone by. My mom keeps reminding me that it won't be long, but I still can't register the thought that there's so little time left until I become a father. Until I am able to hold my tiny little miracles."

"Speaking of mom," Mark started, "where did she disappear to?"

"She went home," Derek informed him. "She was getting tired, so she took the car. I was hoping to catch a ride with you."

Mark laughed. "No, I think I'll leave you here."

Sam laughed too. "You could always crash at his apartment instead. It's across the street and the key is in the plant beside the door."

"Hey," Mark exclaimed. "How did you know that?"

"I've been your neighbor for months now. You don't think I notice the whole 'make sure no one is looking before quickly grabbing the key from behind the shrub and tossing the key back once it is unlocked' drill? I'm surprised you haven't been robbed yet. Everyone knows it's there."

Mark shrugged. "At least I never lock myself out."

They all laughed. They then stared quietly at all the little miracles sleeping in front of them.

"Have you and Lexie discussed having kids?" Derek then asked, once he noticed the admiration in Mark's eyes.

"A little bit, but we'll wait until after the wedding to really talk about starting a family."

Derek nodded. "Speaking of weddings," he turned towards Sam, "Izzie will be delighted to find out there's _another_ wedding that needs to be organized."

Sam laughed. "I think she'll have to wait a little while until that happens. With this little one around, it'll be a while before we can even think about organizing a wedding let alone actually start to organize it."

Mark and Derek laughed as they shook their heads. "I don't think that'll stop her from trying."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Once they had left the men to themselves, Addison, Meredith and Miranda made their way to Addie's office where they could sit down and just chat.

"What a day!" Addison exclaimed as she fell onto the couch. Meredith took a seat on her chair behind the desk and Miranda sat on the other end of the small couch. They all sighed.

"After all these bad things that have been happening, it's good to see some positive," Meredith said as Miranda and Addison smiled sympathetically.

"They're not all bad," Miranda assured her. "Although there may have been some tough moments, you've pulled through and you need to remember that you're doing it all for the love of those tiny little bundles of joy growing in that tiny little stomach of yours."

Meredith laughed. "Oh I know it, and I've learnt that optimism is a great way to keep my moral up, along with Derek's. I swear, he's been so hard on himself it's starting to worry me."

"Worry you?" Addie exclaimed. "You're the one who's been worrying all of us! He's the one who's been doing all the worrying. Watching you lie in that hospital bed, lifelessly for a week, you scared us…"

Meredith noticed right away how Miranda's expression had changed drastically since Addie had started talking.

"I know how worried you guys have been, and I wish I was able to control what happened to me so that I don't cause so much worrying but –"

"You need to stop worrying about everyone else first, because if _I _was able to control what happened to you, it wouldn't be to stop worrying us, it would be to stop hurting you. You need to put yourself and your happiness in mind too, and if you're happy and safe, we're happy," Addie instructed.

"Now, I'm sure we all love to discuss worrying over Meredith," Miranda said as she rolled her eyes, "I say we talk about the positive things, talk about right now rather what already happened and what could happen. Unless it's good."

Meredith laughed. "Addison is engaged!"

Addie giggled as she played with the ring that now found its place on her left hand.

"So… how does it feel?" Miranda asked, a smile dancing on the corner of her lips.

Addie smiled and Meredith and Miranda both saw the twinkle in her eyes. "It's… unbelievable. No words can describe it. And plus, we're parents now. And this is just the beginning. I feel like my life has suddenly taken a completely new track."

"Happiness feels great," Meredith said with a smile.

"Happiness is great," Miranda corrected.

"There's still plenty of happiness to come," Addison added. "Weddings, more babies…"

Miranda and Meredith giggle as they exchanged a knowing glance.

"Three more and counting," Addie said with a laugh.

"Hold up!" Meredith exclaimed as Addie's comment reminded her of her little phone conversation that morning. "You went for an appointment I take it?" she asked Miranda as she laughed in response.

"As soon as I had a little time to myself, I called Addie and everything is good."

Meredith smiled. "Good. Now we can really celebrate."

"To parenthood!" Addison said with a chuckle.

There was suddenly a knock at the door.

"Come in!" Addie exclaimed.

Sam appeared in the doorway first followed by Derek and Mark. Addison made room for him on the small couch and when they noticed that three people was crowded, he pulled her onto his lap. Derek lifted Meredith from her seat and rested her on his lap once he had taken over the chair. Mark decided he'd be better off on the floor.

"This office is way to small for this many people," Mark said as they looked around at how crowded is truly was.

"It's not very often I have this many visitors all at once," Addison answered.

"But today is a special occasion," Derek said with a laugh. "In a way, you're lucky you only have this many visitors."

As if he had been waiting outside the door, waiting for the perfect moment to make an entrance, Richard chose this moment to knock and peek through the door.

"It seems like a party in here," he exclaimed as he squeezed his way through the door that Mark was partially blocking.

"There's still room," Sam exclaimed.

Richard opted for the chair that was hidden in the back of the room. He brought it a little closer, then took a seat.

"So have you two decided on a name yet?" Meredith asked as Derek played with the spiny chair.

Addison and Sam exchanged a quick glance. Addison then looked back towards everyone and smiled. "We have."

"Can we hear it?" Mark asked, sounding as excited as a kid on the last day of school.

"Nathaniel Montgomery Harrington," she said with a bright smile. "I've always loved the name Nathaniel, and it just so happened that Nathan was the name of Sam's great grandfather. It was perfect."

"Nathaniel," Meredith repeated. "What a pretty name."

"Have you two decided on names yet?" Miranda then asked, and everyone turned their attention towards Derek and Meredith.

"Hold up!" Derek exclaimed. "This is Addie and Sam's day. No need to talk about us."

Addison smirked. "Come on Derek. You know that the two of you will always be the hot topic no matter what."

Derek shook his head. "Tonight, you're in the spotlight."

"And I want to hear what you guys have for names," she answered with a devilish smirk.

Meredith cut in. "We're keeping them a surprise until they're born. But we have decided on two names," Meredith said as she turned towards Derek. "Two beautiful names."

"I can't believe you're going to make us suffer and wait," Mark said with a grunt. "This is no fun."

Derek laughed. "Sometimes the wait can be fun."

Miranda decided to change the subject. "Have the two of you thought of godparents?"

Addison nodded. "We were actually going to ask you to be Nathaniel's godmother. Mike is his godfather, but he's not with anyone so you were the person I wanted to ask as godmother."

Miranda smiled. "I'd love to."

"Can I be his number one babysitter then?" Mark asked, which made everyone laugh.

"You'll have your chance," Addie said. "But I think Meredith and Derek need the practice first."

"Will we ever," Meredith said as she rubbed her bump. "We could use all the help we can get."

Derek laughed. "I would say that that's not true and that we'll do fine, but I have a feeling that we will need all the help we can get."

"You two will be amazing parents," almost everyone said at once.

"But, if you ever do need that help," Richard started.

"We'll all be there," Mark finished off and everyone nodded.

"So will we," Meredith said as she looked Addison in the eye and smiled. They'd all be there for each other, no matter what.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I heard say that the newest member of Seattle Grace's next generation has joined us?" Jackson said as he noticed Cristina standing by the nurse's station, looking over a chart. Her night shift had started at seven, and from what she heard, the little one had been born just minutes after that.

Cristina nodded as Jackson rested his hand on her lower back and stood beside her.

"Hey, you don't seem too happy," he noticed. There was pain in her eyes and he could tell something was bugging her.

"I'm fine," she muttered, and Jackson knew that she truly wasn't.

"You're picking up bad habits from Meredith. You know 'I'm fine' doesn't work."

Cristina turned around and faced Jackson. "You'll overreact if I tell you."

Jackson didn't know what to expect. "I promise, I won't."

Cristina sighed. "Burke's leaving."

Jackson was caught by surprise. He hadn't heard this, and although he wouldn't show it, it pained him to hear that he'd be losing someone he had gotten to know quite well, someone who had shown him so much, and also someone he had found a friendship he hadn't seen coming in.

"Mackenzie, his girlfriend, was offered a job in Pennsylvania. He decided he'd go with her."

Jackson nodded. "He's making the right choice. If it were you going off, there's no way I'd let you go off without me. He was a great friend, but that doesn't mean it's the end of the road."

Cristina nodded and Jackson brought her in for a hug. "It's so weird," she said. "When he got here, I had never seen any of this coming. But I've discovered that he's such a great friend. I don't know how it happened, but I'm going to miss him."

"I think we all will."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Hello?" Derek called into the house once he and Meredith had gotten home. They had, like Derek had expected, gotten a drive home with Mark and Lexie, and the ride had been quite the topic jumper. They had started the ride talking about how excited they were for Addie, and by the time they had arrived to their little homes, they were discussing Thanksgiving.

"_Meredith won't be able to fly to New York by Thanksgiving, so that takes the two of us out of the picture," Derek mentioned._

"_And besides, mom is here, so she probably won't even be in New York for Thanksgiving, which sorta upsets the balance of everything," Mark said with a laugh. "It's not Thanksgiving if mom's not there."_

_Derek nodded and chuckled. "The girls' husbands' families might actually get the chance to see them this year."_

"_I say we have our own little Thanksgiving here," Meredith suggested._

"_Little?" Lexie asked with a laugh. "With the size of the _entire_ family, Seattle Grace family I mean, little is not the word to describe it. Quite the opposite actually."_

"_And if we're lucky, the house will be done and we could have everyone over for an enormous party," Derek added._

_Everyone agreed that it would be a great idea._

Now they were home, and there was no answer to Derek's call. He checked his watch and noticed that it was a little after ten. _She's probably already in bed,_ he thought.

He grabbed Meredith by the hand and they made their way to the kitchen. There they found their mom, sitting at the small island, phone in hand, an unreadable look on her face.

"They've just gotten here. I'll talk to them." Carolyn hung up and shook her head. "That was Kathleen."

"What's wrong?" Derek asked, not giving his mother the chance to explain.

"Oh nothing," she said with a laugh. "She had heard that I was staying with you guys and she just wanted to see how things were going."

Derek raised an eyebrow. "Then what was with the look?"

Carolyn rolled her eyes. "She wants to know what you guys think about going to Connecticut for Easter. I told her that with two four month old babies, it would be quite the trip but –"

"We'll see when the time comes," Meredith said with a smile.

Carolyn smiled. "Don't feel like you have to…"

Derek nodded. "I assure you, if either one of us don't feel up to it, we won't be going."

"Good," Carolyn finished off with a smirk. "Now, how is Addison handling motherhood?"

"So far so good," Meredith said as she took a seat beside Carolyn. "But I think it's the other situation she's more taken aback by, especially for the next few nights, while the little one is still in the hospital."

"Other situation?" Carolyn asked, puzzled. "Oh God, did something go wrong?"

Meredith shook her head and laughed. "No, well I don't think so."

Derek laughed too. "Sam proposed," he answered.

Carolyn smiled brightly. "That's wonderful to hear! They seem so good for each other."

"I don't know how I never realized you didn't like me and Addie," Derek stated. "I mean, you never said anything like that."

Carolyn shrugged. "Maybe I was just really good at hiding it."

"But you're right. They seem so perfect for each other. She found her happiness, and I'm glad she has. I felt guilty here and then, being so happy while she was miserable. But now we've all got our happy." He said this as he placed himself behind Meredith's chair and kissed the top of her head softly.

Carolyn smiled as she watched the small exchange between the happy couple. "Yes we are."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I love you," Sam whispered in Addie's ear once he thought she was asleep. It was well past midnight, and after the day they had, he was sure that she would be out cold.

"I love you too," Addie replied with a giggle. "I don't think I could ever hear or say that enough."

Sam tightened his grip around his fiancée. Fiancée. It felt odd, different, yet there was something about it that felt absolutely and totally perfect. Magical. As if it had given him wings. He felt like he was flying high, like nothing could bring him down. And at the moment nothing could.

Addie played with her ring. It had been several years that the finger had been empty. She remembered her first engagement ring. She had picked it. It had been pretty, what she thought was the most attractive piece of jewelry. It had been expensive. There was nothing magical about it. It had been just another piece to the collection of souvenirs. But this one, it felt like a promise. And in a way, it was. This wasn't just a piece of jewelry, it was a promise that Sam would be there, no matter what. She knew it, she knew that that was what it meant.

"Do you like it?" Sam asked as he noticed her twiddling with her ring.

"I absolutely love it," Addie said as she turned around to face him. "It's amazing."

He smiled and gave her a quick kiss. "This time last year, I wouldn't have believed I would be here, in love with an amazing woman like you, engaged, starting a life with someone. Even less had I thought I'd be starting a family, would have a son, would be becoming a dad. Yet these past five months have shown me that life is full of surprises and that you need to take chances to get what you truly want. I stepped out of my safety zone, I'll admit it, but it was well worth it in the end. It led me to you."

Addison couldn't help the enormous smile that took over her face. "I can't find the words to express how I feel right now. But I know one thing; you showed me that it was possible to truly fall in love. I've honestly never felt this way before, never felt this connection with anybody, and I'd have to say that if it weren't for second chances in life, I'd be the most miserable person in Seattle." They laughed. "You're the love of my life, my friend, and I can't say that the road from here on out will be easy, but with you by my side, it'll make it that much more amazing."

Sam pulled Addie close and felt her breathing slow down, until he knew for sure she was asleep. He then slowly let her go as he got up, knowing now was the moment he had been slowly leading up to.

"Hello?" the female voice answered on the other end of the line.

"Lina," he whispered as he felt his emotions take over.

"Sammy?" the voice he had missed so much, along with the childhood name made sure his eyes wouldn't stay dry.

"I miss you," he said as he felt the tear slip down his cheek. "You should come home," he then said, wanting nothing more than to have her come back to him.

"You know how it is Sammy, things are still the same. But I will come soon, I promise."

Dubai. She was all the way in Dubai. Across the ocean, another world completely. Where it was night for him, it was day for her. Staying in contact was tough, but they had managed. That is, they had managed in the beginning. And then things had gone downhill. _Seven years,_ he though. It had been seven years since the last time he had talked to her. Twelve years since they had said their goodbyes.

Becoming a parent would be tough. But not as tough as being separated from a loved one.

**Woah. Did I just hit you guys with something completely comfusing and answerles ? I think I did P:  
Enjoy ! **


	47. Unwanted Visitor

**So, as I'm back to school tomorrow and back into a regular schedule, I figured it was time I'd get my updating back to par. I hope you haven't given up on the stories yet and can still remember where we're at with the story line ! I want to thank all the people who have reviewed and have left me wonderful reviews and productive critisism. I appreciate it all, and even if I don't have the chance to reply to all of them, know that it's really nice to see such a large number of lovely reviews. Anyway, back to the story !**

She ran it through her mind, over and over again, but still she found no answer. She couldn't have dreamt it, although that's all Derek thought it was. She knew he had actually been talking to someone, and she had heard quite clearly what was going on. Was this all a joke?

"Addie, calm down," Derek instructed. "You're over reacting."

"Am I Derek?" she asked. "Am I really? Do you have phone conversations with woman in the middle of the night, tell them you miss them and that you want them to come home? I mean, other than Meredith."

Addie had barged into Derek's office first thing that morning. She needed to talk to her friends, her people, one of her people, and Mark had the day off, so he wasn't an option. But she could talk to Derek. Derek knew that Addie believed Sam was playing her. But he also knew there was a logical explanation for this. Addison was right a lot of the time, but this? This had to be a misunderstanding.

"Talk to him Addie. Ask him about it. It won't hurt."

Addie shook her head. "That's where you're wrong. If I'm right, it will hurt. It'll hurt terribly. Our _son_ is upstairs, getting ready to go home tomorrow. What if… what if I'm right?"

Addie fell over on the couch in Derek's office. Derek got up from his seat behind the desk and took a seat beside her.

"Addison, Addison, Addison," he said as he lifted her legs from the couch so he could scoot in closer to her. He set her feet down over his lap. "Haven't you learnt that you need to be optimistic? Hasn't having Meredith around shown you the positive in life?"

Addie smirked. "Hasn't it been my line these last few months? Everything's going to okay, just stay positive? When did the tables turn?"

Derek checked his watch. "I'd say about seven twenty this morning when you made an unannounced visit."

Addie shoved the back of her shoe into his leg and the two started laughing. Just then, the door flung open.

"Derek you –" Richard started, but when he realized that he had a guest, he stopped.

Derek looked at Addie, who had stopped laughing, and she quickly sat up. They exchanged a glance, then took a look at Richard's expression and the two knew exactly what he had been thinking.

"Richard, I –"

He shook his head. "I know Derek, it was just not what I was expecting. But you gotta come now."

Derek and Addie exchanged a puzzled look. "What's going on Richard?"

"There's… someone here. He's asking for you."

Derek didn't understand. "Why didn't you just send him up here?"

Richard just motioned for him to follow. "I didn't want to have to show him the way. Let's just say there's rough water between the two of us," he explained as they walked across the catwalk.

"Is it a patient?" Addison asked.

Richard shook his head. "No, he's… he's looking for Derek. Not Dr Shepherd."

Neither Derek nor Addison understood Richard's hesitance, or knew where all of this was going. But Derek had as soon as he had turned the corner and noticed the man standing in the waiting area, twiddling his thumbs.

"What does he want?" Derek asked Richard as he stopped. He didn't want things to get ugly, so he thought he should prepare himself.

"All he told me is that he wants to talk to you."

Addie was confused. "Who are you guys talking about?"

Derek looked back to the man that he swore he never wanted to see again.

"Thatcher Grey," Derek answered roughly.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Sam hadn't slept at all the night before. His mind kept wandering to the phone conversation, the one that had been cut short due to the little amount of time Lina had before she needed to get back to work. But just hearing her voice had made things better.

She had left them when he was twenty-seven. His step-father had just been arrested for abuse, something neither him nor his brothers had ever told anybody. His actual father had died just after Noah had turned six. It had been then that the Inn had suffered majorly, and that they had gone to live with the Avery's, across the country. Sam had been seventeen at the time, Mike had been ten. The Inn had been their father's, and although it didn't seem like they were going to be able to keep it, miracles had happened. But then Charles had come along, and their mother had felt obliged to letting him in. They had gotten married, but never had anyone really thought they were truly in love.

Ten years after his father's death, Sam had come home during the Christmas break from Pennsylvania, where he had started his life. It was then that he had discovered the bruises all over Noah, who was now sixteen. When he inquired, his brother broke down, being more of the emotional guy than the tough guy. He had called the cops and Charles had been arrested. His mother hadn't even cried. She knew it was going to happen. She had just been too afraid to make the phone call herself.

Her mother, his grandmother, had then decided it would be better for her to get away from it all and had ordered she come live with her, across the ocean, leaving everything behind, including her children. It was that day that Sam and Mike had taken over the Inn. Noah had still been too young to actually get to be part owner, but he was definitely an employee. The three bother's had been living alone since that terrible Christmas.

But it had been twelve years. Twelve years since that awful memory that still hurt him had been a reality. Twelve years since he had last seen his brother break down and cry. Twelve years since he had said goodbye to his mother. And yet, it still hurt every time he thought about it.

She had promised she would come back once she felt strong enough. She had promised to come visit, maybe even move back once the scars had healed. But she never had, and Sam had given up hope that she ever would. But after the amazing day he had had yesterday, after believing all his life that he would never get seriously involved with a woman, afraid of all the things the most important woman in his life had gone through, he knew he needed to tell her, show her that he still had hope in seeing her someday. And he knew now, deep down, he knew that he would.

She had promised she would call back later that night. She would call around eight o'clock at night her time, which was eight o'clock in the morning for him. Sam had been watching the clock since the moment Addie had gotten up to go to work.

He jumped at the sound of the telephone. He had been so absorbed by the red glowing letters of his clock that it took him a second for it to click in that it was her.

"Mom," he said, as he answered the phone.

"Sammy, I'm sorry about having had to rush you earlier. You know how work can be."

Sam smiled at the relaxed tone in his mother's voice. "It's okay, I needed to sleep anyway." That hadn't technically been true, because he hadn't slept anyway. He had been awake most of the night, everything of the past day keeping him from closing his eyes. He knew he should try to get as much sleep as possible before the baby came home, but he just couldn't help from everything taking over his every thought and keeping him from sleeping.

"So how have things been?" she asked. "How are you and your brothers?"

Sam smiled. "Noah and Mike are doing great. Their still living at the Inn. We've also reconnected with Jackson. He's living in Seattle too."

"Where are you living?" she asked, puzzled that he had just said Noah and Mike were living at the Inn.

"I'm living in an apartment with my fiancée."

"Oh Sammy! You're getting married?"

Sam chuckled. "I am. Probably not for a few more years, because we've also just adopted a little boy who was born yesterday."

"Sammy, oh my goodness! You're all grown up! You're going to be a dad! This is incredible!"

"I know mom. It feels unbelievable."

"You're father would be proud of you," Lina said softly.

"I know."

There was a short silence, but Lina broke it. "I have a ticket booked."

Sam wasn't sure if he understood.

"What…"

"A plane ticket. Next month. When you called earlier today, I knew it was time I came to see you and your brothers. So I booked a ticket as soon as I got off work."

"Mom…" Sam couldn't believe it.

"I can't wait to see you."

Sam couldn't express how excited he was to see his mother. After all this time, he would finally get to see her with a smile on her face.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Meredith and Carolyn had both been up early. Not knowing what to do with themselves, they decided to get some running around done before the stores got busy.

"I'm going to make a lasagna tonight," Carolyn had announced as they were picking up a few groceries.

"You better not be planning on cooking the entire time you're here," Meredith warned her. "You're here as a guest. You're not allowed to be cooking all the time."

"But I enjoy cooking. It's what I do."

Meredith shook her head. "Don't feel like you have to do it. I'm sure I can survive on my own."

Carolyn then shook her head in response. "There is no way I am letting you live off of grilled cheese sandwiches while I'm staying under your roof. I enjoy cooking. I'd be cooking if I was home, so I will cook while I am here. The only difference is I have less people to cook for here."

Meredith laughed. "That shouldn't be a problem. I'm sure we could find a few people who wouldn't mind coming over for a meal here and there."

Carolyn smirked. "So does that mean you'll let me cook?"

Meredith sighed. "Only until you don't feel like cooking anymore."

"Well that shouldn't be a problem considering it'll never happen."

Meredith laughed as they continued their way through the store.

"I wonder how Addie and Sam are feeling today."

Meredith shrugged. "I don't know, but I heard she's working today, so she can go up and sneak a bunch of peeks of Nathaniel."

Carolyn giggled. "What a beautiful name."

Meredith nodded. 'I know. And I was just thinking about how funny it would be if my little boy became friends with him. Wouldn't that be quite the story for the generation after?"

Carolyn laughed. "Well the chances of it happening are quite likely. Addie and Derek are best friends and you and Addie are quite close too. Plus, they'll be hospital children, they'll grow up together, along with Lexie and Mark's kids, and Cristina and Jackson's and all the others in your little family. They are bound to become friends."

"I still think it would be pretty incredible."

"It would be."

They pushed their cart up and down the aisles and grabbed different items they needed for the next little while.

"Have you and Derek gotten all of your shopping done for the babies?" Carolyn suddenly asked.

Meredith nodded. "Yeah, we got most of it done in one day. Just before you come out…"

Carolyn then realized what Meredith was thinking. "Oh I'm sorry dear, I completely forgot about –"

Meredith shook her head and cut her off. "No, it's absolutely fine. Everyone thinks I'm suffering from those few days I was unconscious, but honestly, I've come out completely untouched by anything. It was just like a long nap."

Carolyn chuckled slightly, and nodded. "Okay then."

Meredith smiled. "Okay."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Dr Shepherd."

Derek sighed. "Thatcher."

Derek invited him to follow him to his office, and Richard and Addie just watched as they disappeared over the catwalk.

"I wonder how it'll go," Addie said as she finally shifted her attention away from the figures who had disappeared around a corner.

"I want to know what he wants," Richard said, his voice full of hatred.

"It's probably nothing Richard," Addie tried assuring him.

"I don't like that man. He's done too much damage in Meredith's life. I don't want him to make it worse."

Addie rested his hand on Richards' shoulder. "Derek won't let him."

They finally decided they needed to get things done, so they headed down towards the nurse's station.

They hadn't expected to see Lexie there, thinking she had the day off with Mark. But she was there, and she didn't seem the least bit distracted by anything. She probably didn't know her father was in the hospital.

"Dr Montgomery, Dr Webber,' she greeted them as she noticed them starring her down. "Did I do something wrong…"

Both Addie and Richard snapped out of their trances and Richard was the first to answer.

"Oh, just wondering why you're at the hospital on your day off."

Lexie laughed. "Oh, it's because Alex is sick, so he asked if I'd go in for him. I have tomorrow off instead, since his day off is tomorrow."

Both Richard and Addie nodded mechanically.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Lexie asked.

Richard knew he should probably tell her, prepare her. Wouldn't she be shocked if she saw her father walking around the hospital? He looked around them, and noticed that everyone within hearing distance had their attention focused on the three of them. They still couldn't get over the fact that a second year resident was actually friends with two of their attendings, one of them being the old chief. Richard motioned for her to follow.

"What is it?" Lexie asked once Addie had shut the door to the meeting room they were now in.

"I don't know how to tell you this, but your father…"

"What?"

"Your father is here."

Lexie went pale. "Oh god, what did he do?"

Richard shook his head. "No, he seems completely sober, and he's not here as a patient. He's here to talk to Derek."

"Where is he?"

"Him and Derek are in Derek's office," Addie answered.

Neither Addie nor Richard had the chance to say anything before Lexie was out the door. And they both had a pretty good feeling of where she was going.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I'm sorry for just dropping by, without any warning," Thatcher said after several minutes in silence. Neither him nor Derek knew how to start off. They had both just stayed silent, waiting for the other to say something. Thatcher had decided it had been long enough. "It's just, I was in town, and I thought I'd come see how everything was going."

Derek didn't look at him when he answered. "Things are just fine."

"How's… how's Meredith?"

Derek shifted in his seat. "Meredith is fine."

Thatcher nodded and silence took over again.

"You know, you promised them you'd stay sober," Derek finally said the one thing that had been bothering him about the man that sat before him. Meredith had given him a piece of her, and the only thing she had asked of him was for him to stop drinking. But the last thing any of them had heard, he had been in a rehab facility in LA.

"What?"

"The last time you were here, you promised to Meredith and Lexie that you would stop drinking for good…"

Thatcher shook his head. "I don't understand."

Derek was about to explain what he meant, but he hadn't had the chance. His office door burst open and an angry and hurt Lexie was revealed to them.

"Lexie…" Thatcher said, a smile appearing on his face.

"No, don't you Lexie me," she said, anger visible in all of her. "You made a promise that you broke and there's no more forgiving. I'm done forgiving you."

Thatcher got up from his seat and looked back and forth between Derek and Lexie. "I don't understand! What promise did I break?"

Lexie scoffed. "You promised you'd stay sober! When Meredith gave you a piece of her liver. That was her condition. And you broke that."

"What?"

Lexie didn't give him a chance to make up any excuses. "When I called the house, some lady answered and when I asked for you, she told me you were renting out the house until you got back from rehab in LA. Rehab! It doesn't take a genius to figure it out."

Thatcher's look went from incredulous as both Derek and Lexie stared him down to… a smile? He suddenly started to laugh until he was nearly on the ground chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Derek asked as Lexie shrugged.

Thatcher took a breath. "Lexie, Dr Shepherd. I swear, I haven't had a drink since long before I had gotten my liver transplant."

Both Lexie and Derek were now confused.

"But you rented out your house, and you were in a rehab facility."

Thatcher nodded. "Yes I did, and yes I was. An old friend of mine runs it. She wanted to know if I'd come out and do seminars with young alcoholics. I was on a one year contract to be like a mentor of some sort. My contract just ended and I'm going back in January."

Lexie's mouth was hanging low. "You mean…"

Thatcher laughed. "Does everyone think I went back to being a drunk?"

Lexie felt her face redden. "I'm so sorry dad… It's just, when the lady told me you –"

"It's okay," Thatcher said. "At least I know why I had such a rude welcoming."

"I apologize sincerely Thatcher," Derek said. "If I had known it wasn't true, I wouldn't have reacted like that."

Thatcher smiled. "It's okay Dr Shepherd."

Derek shook his head. "It's Derek. I am your son-in-law after all."

Thatcher nodded. "Right."

Derek invited him to sit back down and for Lexie to join them.

"So now that I'm not as much of the bad guy anymore, I want to know what I've missed in the past year."

Derek and Lexie exchanged a glance. "So much," Derek said. "Where do we start?"

Lexie smiled. "Well, Derek and Meredith are officially married," she said as she pointed towards Derek's wedding band," and they are still the hottest couple in the hospital."

"Even though," Derek starting adding, "there are plenty more." He grabbed Lexie's left hand so that Thatcher could get a look at the ring.

"Lexie, you're engaged?"

Lexie nodded excitedly. "Since the end of April."

Thatcher was beaming. "Oh my," he said. "When's the wedding?"

Lexie smiled. "New Year's Eve."

Thatcher reached over to give her a hug. "My little Lexie," he said as he got teary eyed. "Will I get to meet the lucky man?"

Lexie pulled away. "You've met him already. He came to supper with us one night…"

"Dr Sloan?"

Lexie nodded. "He's wonderful dad."

Thatcher smiled. "I wouldn't want anything less for my little girl."

Derek smiled at the exchange when his phone started to ring. "Excuse me for a second."

He got up from his chair to head towards the door as he pulled out his phone. When he was out of his office, he answered.

"Hello there," he said, as a smile came to his mouth.

"Hello," Meredith answered with a giggle.

"How has your morning been?" Derek asked.

"Mom and I went grocery shopping. I swear, we'll be able to feed the neighborhood for a month."

Derek chuckled. "Sounds like mom."

"How about you?"

Derek laughed. "You have no idea."

"A good surgery?" Meredith asked.

"Not a single case. Much better than that."

Meredith was curious now. "Well mom and I are heading to the hospital now. Want to meet us in the cafeteria for lunch?"

Derek smirked, knowing Meredith couldn't see it. "Is it okay if I bring a guest?"

"Sure…" Meredith answered hesitantly.

"See you there in a few minutes."

Derek hung up and went back into his office where Thatcher and Lexie were catching up. "Hey, what do you guys say we head down to the cafeteria for lunch?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"A guest?" Carolyn asked as Meredith hung up after saying goodbye to Derek.

"Yeah, but he didn't say anything else. Just that he had a guest."

Carolyn nodded as she kept her focus on the road. "Did he sound excited, or happy about his guest, or more disappointed or angry?"

Meredith laughed. "I don't know. Happy I guess. Mysterious."

Carolyn chuckled. "Okay then."

They pulled into the parking lot just a few minutes later and after finding a parking spot, headed in towards the cafeteria.

"What are you doing here? You've only been off for two days and already you've been here both of those!"

Meredith turned around and smirked when she was faced with Miranda Bailey, She wasn't as scary as she used to be, Meredith thought.

"We're meeting Derek for lunch. Apparently, he's got a guest. Any idea who it is?"

Miranda shook her head. "But when you find out, fill me in!" she said as she started walking off.

"I will," Meredith called back.

"I'm curious now," Carolyn said with a smile.

They continued towards the cafeteria, the two women chatting like they had the habit of doing. But as soon as they walked through the cafeteria doors and Meredith noticed the man sitting with her husband and sister, she froze dead in her tracks.

"What is it Meredith? Is it someone you know?"

Meredith looked at Carolyn. "It's my father."

Carolyn seemed confused. "Why do you seem so worried then?"

Meredith shook her head. "It's a long story, but I'm sure you'll probably hear it soon."

Meredith and Carolyn walked slowly towards the table, and when they were pretty close, Meredith took a deep breath.

"Meredith…" Thatcher said surprised, not having been warned that she would be joining them.

"Thatcher," she greeted him coldly.

Lexie shook her head. "I've definitely made life terrible for you, haven't I?" she asked her father as he laughed.

"Just slightly." He smiled towards Meredith. "Meredith, it's nice to see you."

"Yeah, sure."

Carolyn looked at Derek, showing him she didn't understand.

"Why don't the two of you take a seat while Thatcher and I go grab you guys something to eat. Lexie can answer all of your questions."

The girls sat down as the men got up.

"Before you say anything, I have a big misunderstanding to clear up." She told Meredith the story their father had just told them in Derek's office. Meredith's expression softened once everything had been cleared up. Once Lexie finished, Meredith looked over to the two men standing in line, chatting like old time friends.

"All one big misunderstanding," Meredith repeated.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"If I had known I would upset so many people, I wouldn't have come," Thatcher said as him and Derek got in line.

Derek shook his head. "No, I think it was a good thing. It got things cleared up before it was too late. Besides, this way, you'll make it to Lexie's wedding."

Thatched smiled brightly. "It's incredible, the thought of my little girl getting married. I mean, Molly's the youngest and she's been married for quite a while, but for some reason Lexie always seemed like the little one to me."

"I've actually had the chance to get to know Molly in the last little while. She was at our wedding and has been to many of our festivities since then. She reminds me so much of Susan."

Thatcher smiled. "She was a lot like her mother."

They were quiet for a few moments, then Thatcher spoke up. "Lexie's getting married. It still doesn't seem real."

Derek laughed. "It'll sink in eventually, trust me."

Thatcher laughed along with Derek. Then his expression went back to being more serious."Dr Sloan, do you know him well enough to tell me whether he's a good guy for Lex?"

Derek laughed. "He's pretty much my brother. I've known him since we were in like the 3rd grade. And yes, he's a great guy. He's had his moments in the past, but since he has met Lexie, I can't say I know a better guy. He's perfect for her."

Thatcher nodded, then laughed. "Meredith and Lexie marrying brothers. What a thought."

Derek chuckled. "My sisters keep saying the same about Mark and me. It'll make holidays easier in a way."

"Have you guys got any big plans for this year's holiday season?"

Derek couldn't help the smile that came across his face. "We're probably having Christmas at the house Meredith and I are in the process of building. It's near finished, and we're hoping to be in before Christmas. The holiday will definitely be a good one."

"What about your family?" Thatcher asked.

"Well, my mother, who is actually the woman that is with Meredith and Lexie at the moment, she's staying with us for the next little while, so she'll probably be spending Thanksgiving with us. And I have a feeling my sisters and their families will be down for Christmas, along with my mother, because they'll be coming down for the wedding anyway. And one of my sisters and her family are actually living in Seattle, so they'll definitely be around."

They were now at the cash with their stuff and were paying. Derek started heading back towards their table, but Thatcher stopped him.

"I just have a question, before we go back. And I mean, it might seem awkward and I'm going to embarrass myself terribly if I'm wrong, but…"

Derek smirked, because he knew what his question would be. Thatcher glanced towards the table, specifically at Meredith, than looked back at Derek."

"Is Meredith… expecting?"

Derek chuckled. "She's twenty-nine weeks along."

Thatcher's expression went to shock as he glanced back at his daughter. "Twenty-nine weeks? That means she's in her third trimester!"

Derek continued to laugh. "Everyone has that expression when we tell them. She doesn't seem that far along, we know, but Addison, her doctor, assures us that everything is fine when it comes to the development, just the size is a little smaller than normal."

Thatcher shrugged his eyebrows. "Addison… isn't that your ex-wife?"

Derek nodded. "Yes, but she's also very good friends with Meredith now that we've put everything behind us. She's also one of my best friends. But I've gone over this several times too, there's nothing to worry about."

Thatcher laughed. "I wasn't worried, just curious."

Derek and Thatcher finally got back to the table with their meals and Derek thought it would be nice for introductions.

"Mom, this is Thatcher Grey, Meredith and Lexie's father. Thatcher, this is Carolyn Shepherd, my mother."

They shook hands and exchanged a small smile. "It's nice to meet you," Thatcher said. "You've got quite the son."

Carolyn laughed. "So I've been told. And it's nice to finally meet you. I've sort of already claimed your daughters as my own. Their marrying into the family, they become part of the family."

Thatcher smiled. "They could use a strong motherly figure right now," he said this as he looked at Meredith. He still felt sorry for having left her with her mother. He should've fought for her when he could. Now all he could look for was the slightest bit of forgiveness.

"She's been great," Meredith said with a smile. "And I apologize for the cold welcoming," she then directed to her father.

Thatcher chuckled. "It's okay, I've gotten used to it."

**So I was having a hard time putting something new in this chapter, that's why I put the whole Thatcher showing up twist into it. I hope you enjoyed our little "misunderstanding" and this won't be the end of Thatcher. Anyway, enjoy !**


	48. Hospital Calls

"How did things go?" Addie asked as she barged into Derek's office. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had a guest," she added with a smile. "And what are you doing here?"

Meredith giggled. "I was planning on having a nice lunch with Derek and Carolyn, but it didn't turn out how I expected it."

"But you have to admit," Derek said, "it turned out to be quite good."

Meredith nodded. "I guess having Thatcher around isn't so bad."

"So everything is good?" Addie asked as she sat down beside Meredith on the couch. Derek was at his desk, looking over some paper work. Carolyn had just left to go to the washroom.

"Everything is…" Meredith started, but couldn't quite find the words right away. "Everything is better than I had expected."

Addison sighed. "Lucky you."

Derek then remembered his conversation with Addie from earlier that morning. "Oh, have you talked to Sam?"

Meredith was confused. "Why? What's going on?"

Derek didn't give Addie a chance to explain. "She thinks Sam's a player and that he's seeing another woman."

Meredith couldn't help but laugh. "Am I thinking about the right Sam? Tall, dark hair, sweetest little dimples, totally in love with you, Sam?"

Addie sighed as she flopped down further onto the couch. "It sounds crazy, I know, but…"

Derek smiled. "I'll talk to him Addie. I'll head over there after my shift, and I'll make sure he knows I'll beat the crap out of him if you're right."

Both women laughed. "Oh he will," Meredith assured her.

"I know," Addie added with a smile. "I'm going up to check on Nathaniel," she then said, and her smile became even bigger.

"Would you mind if I join?" Meredith asked hopefully.

Addie giggled as she got up. "Can't get enough of the cutest little boy on the planet?"

Meredith laughed. "No, my son really wants to meet his new best friend."

Derek couldn't help but smile at the two women in front of him as they left discussing how they needed to make sure their sons became the best of friends. Carolyn came in just moments after they had left.

"Addie and Meredith seem quite close," she commented as she closed the door. "It still puzzles me."

Derek shook his head. "Addie has grown, a lot. She's changed since we were married. She's matured. And Meredith, well Meredith has become a very friendly person. It's just the way things have been."

Carolyn nodded as she took a seat on the couch. "So what about Mark in all of this?"

Derek smiled. "Mark, Addie and I have gone back to being the best friends we used to be. It's like old times all over again. And then Meredith and Lexie are also very close with Addie, and I've built a strong relationship with Lexie, and Mark has with Meredith. And then Sam, he's become one of Mark and mine's closest friends too. And he and Meredith are quite close too, with all the time Meredith has had off, they spent a lot of time together. Everything is wonderful. There's also everybody else, Richard, Miranda, Cristina, Jackson, Izzie, Alex, Catherine… the list doesn't stop. We're all like a big family. Everyone has people to count on. Just like a real family."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I'm sure it's all just one big misunderstanding Addie. I mean, it's Sam."

Meredith was trying her best to convince Addie she was being unreasonable, but Addie's thick skull was a hard one to get into.

"I know, but I mean, not very many people call women in the middle of the night, other than their wife or girlfriend or fiancée. I mean, really."

Meredith shrugged. "I bet you that in five years time, you're going to laugh this off."

Addie smiled. "I sure hope so."

Meredith and Addie had reached the nursery and knowing quite well what visiting hours were, they invited themselves in and went straight to the little boy with the big smile.

"He's so precious!" Meredith exclaimed as she was looking over Addison's shoulder.

"He is. I bet you can't wait for your little ones to be born."

Meredith wrapped her hands over her stomach and smiled. "Less than three months to go."

"Are you ready?" Addison asked. Meredith knew she didn't mean it as in, do you have all the stuff you need. She meant it as in, can you do this.

"I think so. I mean, I've prepared myself in advance because of all the possibilities of going into labor prematurely, but I think I'm as close to ready as any expecting mother is. With all the things I've had to go through during my pregnancy, it has prepared me better. It has helped me… mature almost."

Addie nodded and to Meredith's surprise, she gave her a great big hug.

"What was that for?" Meredith asked with a giggle.

Addie smiled. "To show you that I'm here for you."

"I know that," Meredith answered. "Trust me, there's no way of not knowing that you're here for me. You've done so much for me, I don't know how I'll ever thank you for it."

"No need. I'm your doctor, it's my job."

Meredith shook her head. "Don't give me that. You've done over and beyond your job. You can't use that."

Addie giggled. "I care about you. A lot. You've become like a little sister to me, someone whom I can count on. I've never truly had that, not even with the Shepherd sisters. It feels nice to have someone to look out for, and who I know will be there when I need them. So thank you, for showing me that someone does truly care about me, and to show me that being strong really is important. I've said it plenty, but I don't know how you're still standing Meredith Shepherd. You've blown my mind."

Meredith wiped away her teary eyes and looked down to the little boy who was now looking up at her. "With the people that surround me, it makes it easier to stay strong than it looks. And I've always wanted an older sister."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Oh crap!" Cristina exclaimed as she noticed the man who was walking down the hall. She had just gotten out of surgery with Burke and had run into Jackson as he was scrubbing out of a surgery with Dr Lewis. It was as they were leaving the scrub room, nearing the nurse's station that Cristina noticed Meredith's father.

"What?" Jackson asked, not knowing what Cristina had seen. He looked around, but no one caught his attention.

Cristina just watched as Lexie came out of nowhere and joined her father, and they made their way down to where Cristina and Jackson were standing.

"You've met Cristina before," Lexie said as she approached. "And by the looks on her face I still have some clearing up to do. But that'll wait," she added while she gave Cristina the 'I'll explain later' look. "This is Jackson Avery. He's a really good friend of ours. He's also dating Cristina, whom is Meredith's best friend."

Thatcher nodded. "It's nice to meet you, and nice to see you again Yang."

Jackson smiled as they shook hands. "I'm also Meredith's half brother, recently discovered. That's one of the reasons I've gotten so close to everyone here."

Thatcher's expression was one of shock as he let go of Jackson's hand. Lexie had a petrified look on her face. Cristina seemed like she was trying her best not to laugh. Finally, Thatcher's expression softened as he smirked.

"I knew it!" he exclaimed. "Ellis wasn't on a business trip. I knew she was pregnant. She thought I was an idiot, but oh no. I was much smarter than she believed I was."

Lexie looked to Jackson's now confused expression. "Jackson, this is my dad, Thatcher Grey."

Jackson looked back between Thatcher and Lexie, then to Cristina. "Oh, well then… I should learn when and when not to open my big mouth."

Thatcher laughed. "It's no problem. I knew that Ellis had a child out there somewhere, I just hadn't expected him to be right around the corner."

Cristina finally spoke up. "Does Meredith know you're here?" she asked, in a not too friendly manner.

Lexie nodded quickly. "We had lunch with her and Carolyn and Derek not too long ago. I have a lot of explaining to do."

Just then, Richard came around the corner. When he noticed the small assembly, his expression changed from nonchalant to angry in seconds.

"I thought you'd be gone by now," Richard said as he approached. "Thought Derek would have wanted you out of the hospital by now."

"Dr Webber, I've made a terrible mistake, a misunderstanding, and I want to explain what actually happened."

Richard looked at Lexie. "Fine."

She explained the story once again, and everyone just sort of took it in without any expression. Sooner or later, everything would be…okay.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Mark was lonely. He had planned the perfect day off with Lexie, but once Alex had called to see if she'd be able to go in for her, his plans were ruined. He wasn't mad at the resident, he knew that they were all close and would always be there to help each other out. He was glad for that. He was just disappointed he didn't get to spend his day off with his loved one.

And he was lonely.

He knew Derek and Addie were both working today too, so he couldn't count on them for company. He thought about seeing if Sam was busy, but he knew he was probably getting things ready for the arrival of their little one. He thought about Jackson or Richard, but realized the two of them were working too.

_Meredith,_ he thought. _She's off work._

"Hello?" she answered. Mark could hear noises in the background, then a door shut, and then the noises were gone.

"Meredith! How are you? You feeling okay? What are you up to today?"

There was a chuckle at the other end of the line. "Mark?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, sorry. It's your favorite brother in law."

Meredith laughed. "You seem desperate for a friend right now."

Mark heard another door close and then Meredith answering someone's question with, "it's Mark."

"Who are you with?" Mark asked.

"Addie. We were just with Nathaniel."

Mark thought about that. "You're at the hospital too? Why is everyone at the hospital?"

Meredith giggled. "Because we like the hospital and the people in it."

Mark shook his head. "I can't believe I'm doing this on my day off, but it looks like I'm going to have to come down to work if I don't want to be so lonely."

Meredith laughed. "I guess so. See you soon?"

Mark shrugged. "I guess so."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Carolyn was leaving the hospital after Derek informed her that he would be off in a few hours, so he could bring Meredith home with him, when she ran into Mark coming in through the main doors.

"Mark, what are you doing here? From what I've heard it's your day off!"

Mark shrugged. "Nobody's off today, so I thought I'd come and see what everyone was up to here."

Carolyn laughed. "Not too much actually. Do people actually do anything here? Seems to me every time I come, nobody's working!"

Mark laughed. "You just catch us on lucky days I guess. Now, what are you doing here?"

"Meredith and I came to meet Derek for lunch. I had the chance to meet Lexie and Meredith's father."

Mark went pale. "Thatcher Grey is here?"

Carolyn nodded with a laugh. "Yes, and he's looking forward to seeing you."

Mark shook his head in confusion. "But I thought he was in rehab."

Carolyn sighed. "Lexie had misunderstood. He was actually working at a rehabilitation facility, talking about his experience as being an alcoholic with young people. He cleared it all up."

Mark nodded slowly, then something clicked in his mind. "I'm marrying his daughter."

Carolyn giggled. "It's nice to know you know how to put two and two together."

Mark looked Carolyn straight in the eye, and she could see the panic in his eyes. "He's going to be my father in law. What if he doesn't like me, or doesn't approve? What if he thinks Lexie can do better? Carolyn, what do I do?"

Carolyn couldn't help but laugh at the expression on her son's face. "Mark, he'll love you. You make Lexie happy. That's all that matters to him. Besides, Derek's already put a good word in for you, and he likes and respects Derek. You'll be fine."

Mark nodded. "I think I'll be okay."

Just then, Mark heard someone call out for him. He spun around, and let out a breath when he saw Meredith and Addie.

"You actually came!" Meredith exclaimed with a laugh. She then noticed the look on Mark's face. "It looks like you've seen a ghost! What's up?"

Mark shook his head quickly, as to erase the look on his face. "Oh nothing."

Carolyn laughed. "He just found out he's about to face his future father in law."

Addie and Meredith laughed as Mark's face reddened.

"Meeting the in laws," Addie said. "Never thought it would happen to Mark."

Mark gave her the 'Haha, very funny look.' "Shut up. I've been engaged for five months now. Jokes over."

Meredith shook her head as she looked off into the distance. "No way. The joke has just begun."

Mark noticed the smile stretch across Meredith's face. He turned around and noticed the two people who were coming towards them.

"Mark!" Lexie exclaimed as she approached. "What are you doing here?"

Mark cleared his throat. "Oh, well… I got bored home alone and nobody was home, so I thought I'd come and see Nathaniel and catch up with whoever wasn't busy…"

Meredith giggled. "Little did he know there was a visitor."

Thatcher smiled. "Hello Dr Sloan."

Mark put on his best smile and took Thatcher's hand in his. "It's Mark. And it's nice to see you again."

"So I heard that you're marrying my little girl?"

Mark was at a loss for words while the others tried to not giggle. Their smirks, however didn't go unnoticed. "Um… yes… and I know I should have talked to you about it… and I would have, had I known… but we all thought…"

Thatcher cut him off. "It doesn't bother me the least bit, and I see you have the power to make my Lexie the happiest woman on the earth, so I just wanted to thank you."

Mark smiled awkwardly. "You're… welcome."

Meredith decided Mark had had enough attention on him, so she spoke up.

"Um, Thatcher, I'd like you to meet Addison Montgomery."

Addie put out her hand. "We've met before, when Molly was in the hospital with Laura."

Thatcher nodded. "Yes, I remember quite well. And I've also heard that you've been at another one of my daughter's sides lately."

Addison smiled towards Meredith. "She's my absolute favorite patient. And I assure you, she's being well treated and well cared for."

Thatcher smiled. "Derek has already assured me of that. And I mean, being chief and all, he sure does know his surgeon's capabilities. And he speaks highly of you. And I've also seen your work when it came to Molly. I know Meredith is in great hands."

Meredith and Addison both smiled.

"Hey, what do you say about joining us Mark?" Lexie asked.

Mark turned back to Carolyn who gave him a reassuring smile. He turned back towards his fiancée and her father and smiled. "I'd love to."

The three women watched as Mark, Lexie and Thatcher disappeared off into the distance. Meredith suddenly let out a small laugh.

"I wonder how long Mark will last…"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Once Addie had disappeared after being paged, Meredith started to head back towards Derek's office. She wasn't supposed to be alone, but she figured as long as she was in well crowded areas, it didn't truly matter.

Reaching the catwalk, she happened to run into Cristina and Burke, deep in discussion.

"Cristina, you know I'll miss you, all of you, but I love her."

Cristina slouched. "I know, but we're going to miss you terribly… why does everything always have to come with a crappy ending?"

Burke laughed. "I'll be back once and a while. Consults, visits… it won't be like last time."

Meredith approached. "Am I interrupting something?"

Cristina looked up to her person. "No, not really. Just telling Burke how much we'll miss him."

Meredith was confused. "Miss him? I didn't know you were leaving…"

Preston nodded. "A week from today."

Meredith nodded sadly. "Well, you'll be missed."

"I'm glad I came back though. Seattle Grace has changed so much. And I'm so glad you were all able to accept me back, even after what I did."

Meredith shrugged. "We all do things we regret. But you were able to face it, and come back, so that's all that matters."

"I hope all goes well here. I will be back sometime in the future. And I hope Derek doesn't have too much trouble finding me a replacement. You and Jackson will need someone," he added to Cristina.

"I'll tough it out, I promise."

Preston laughed as he started to walk away. "I know you will."

Meredith and Cristina let out a quick sigh. "Why can't things stay the same for just a little while?"

Meredith shrugged. "I don't know. I wish I did, but I don't. I guess you just need to hope for the best in the future."

Cristina nodded. Then she remembered her quick encounter from earlier that day. "Hey, so I heard the real story, about your dad I mean."

Meredith laughed. "Lexie felt so bad about the whole misunderstanding. I wonder if Richard knows. According to Derek, he looked about ready to kill him this morning."

"Richard knows," Cristina assured her. "He was with us when Lexie told us the story."

"Who's us?"

"Jackson and me. He wasn't quite formally introduced when he introduced himself as you half brother…"

Meredith's eyes bulged out of her skull. "How did Thatcher react?"

"Apparently he had already guessed that your mom had another kid out there somewhere. So after the initial shock, it wasn't so bad."

Meredith shook her head. "I wish I had been there to see that."

Cristina laughed. "I'd say the best moment of the day."

Meredith had to disagree to that one. "No way. Mark's expression was much more worth it when Thatcher and Lexie had come up to us. I've never seen Mark so unable to find the right words."

Cristina let out a snort. "It's time he was knocked off his horse a little."

Meredith giggled. "Well, anyway, things seemed to be alright by the end of our short encounter. I believe Mark will survive."

"Meredith!" a voice suddenly called out from behind them. Meredith spun around and confusion took over once she noticed the person who came with the voice.

"Izzie? What are you doing here?"

Izzie seemed out of breath. "It's Elisabeth! She's having her baby!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

She had only been out of the hospital for a few days and already, she was back. Her son had decided that today would be the day she would become a mother. Scared was definitely the most appropriate word to use. But the thought of being able to hold her little baby brought a smile to her lips.

"How are you feeling?" Addison asked when she came to see how she was holding out. Elisabeth's mother Virginia was the only other person in the room. Her father was in the waiting room down the hall, knowing that he'd be no use to them if he were to stay in the room. He was also just looking for an excuse to escape from the emotion of the situation.

"I've felt better," she answered with a giggle. Virginia smiled, glad her daughter was able to be so comfortable with the doctor. The fact that they had plenty of chances to get to know each other over the past few months added to the things she was thankful for.

"Well everything seems to right on track. You just need to stay as relaxed as possible and to breath a lot."

Elisabeth took a breath. "Okay. I can do that."

Addie smiled. "Good."

She was about to leave the room when there was a light knock, then Izzie peered her head through the doorway, followed by Meredith.

"Elisabeth, how are you feeling?" Izzie asked as she made her way to the patient's bedside.

Elisabeth chuckled. "The questions never seems to get old, except to the person being asked."

Izzie smirked. "Just wanting to make sure you were okay. I can get you whatever to need …"

Elisabeth shook her head. "I'm good."

Meredith approached. "Are you ready?"

Elisabeth stayed quiet and motionless for a few moments, then nodded quickly. "I think I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

Meredith smiled. "Well I'm here anytime you need me."

"Can you just promise me one thing?"

Meredith shrugged. "Maybe. Depends…"

Elisabeth let out a small chuckle. "Will you not go into labor while I'm giving birth?"

Meredith couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "I still have quite a while to go hopefully. Only one birth per day for now. Addie's baby yesterday, you today."

"Does that mean you're tomorrow?"

Meredith laughed sarcastically. "Um… no."

Just then, the doors opened once again, but this guest caught Elisabeth a little by surprise.

"Gabe…" she mumbled and the young man standing in the doorway smiled.

"Ellie," he said as he made his way through the room to her. Meredith and Izzie watched as he leaned down towards her and left a soft, tender kiss on her lips, and they both smiled.

"What… what are you doing here?"

The young man grabbed her hand. "Do you really think I would miss this?"

"But… how?"

"Your mom called me this morning, when she realized that you were going into labor. I let my teachers know that I'd be gone for a few days, and they all understood. Hopped on the first plane and here I am."

Elisabeth smiled. "Here you are." She looked over to her mom and mouthed a quick thank you, to which her mother responded with a smile.

Elisabeth then looked around the room to the others. "I never expected all these people. When I found out I was pregnant, I thought I had nobody. But now…"

They all smiled and Izzie grabbed her other hand. "Now you've got all of us."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After learning from Meredith that Elisabeth had gone into labor and that she was staying around to support her, Derek headed out towards his car. Meredith was going to get a ride home with Izzie, and Derek suddenly remembered his talk with Addie that morning. He put the keys in the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot with a very specific destination.

"Derek! Surprise seeing you here!" Sam greeted him as he invited him in. Derek followed him to the living room.

"Beer?" he asked as he made his way to the kitchenette.

"Sure," Derek said, as he sat down in an armchair. Sam came back with two beers and took a seat across from him on the couch.

"So, what brings you here?"

Derek took a deep breath. "You know how I told you last night that if you were ever to hurt Addie I would kick your ass for it?"

Sam nodded slowly, not understanding where this was going.

"Well, I had a very pained, very frightened, very worried Addison Montgomery in my office this morning…"

Sam didn't know what to say. "I… I didn't do anything… I don't think… I swear!"

Derek nodded. "I believe you, but Addie tells me that you made a late night phone call last night."

Sam finally understood. He laughed. "I see what's happening. She thinks I'm cheating on her. Late night phone calls with woman…"

"Are you?"

Sam smiled. "I love Addie more than I can describe. I have no intention of ever hurting her like that, let alone on the night of our engagement."

Derek nodded, glad he was able to get that over and done with. But one thing still bothered him.

"If you don't mind me asking, who was it then?"

"My mother," Sam answered. "I called my mother to tell her the good news."

"After midnight?"

Sam decided he'd explain. "She's on the other side of the world. In Dubai, to be precise. She's been there for twelve years. I haven't seen her since she left."

Derek shook his head. "Now I feel terrible for all of this. But Addie seemed so upset…"

Sam laughed. "Don't be. It's good to see you care about her. She needs people."

Derek nodded. "She's got plenty."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Kristopher Howard-Landon was born late that night. The joy in the room was contagious. Everyone had bright eyes and huge grins when they were told they could come visit the baby and the mom. Izzie, Meredith and Mr. Landon were quick to enter the room where the little baby boy was being passed from Gabe to Virginia. Addie smiled at the scene before her. And Elisabeth. She was beaming with joy. Nothing could wipe the smirk off of her face.

"He's absolutely gorgeous!" Meredith said as she entered.

"Ouuh!" Izzie said as she entered behind her. Mr. Landon didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. The smile on his face showed that he was very proud of his little girl.

_Two babies in two days,_ Meredith thought. The excitement of her own babies being born put an even brighter smile on her face. _Soon…_

**_There you go ! An update ! Sorry for the terribly long wait... Don't give up on the story yet cause I promise, it's just getting good !_**


	49. Surviving Times

**Do not own. Go figure P:**

**I hope you guys will all forgive me for the lengthy waits. I know it sucks, but real life just gets in the way sometimes. Also, I want to apologize to those of you who read _Not So Strangers. _Although I usually update the two together, I am only updating this one today. But I'll try to update it soon ! Anway, enjoy !**

Halloween. It was the busiest day in the ER. Everyone at the hospital knew it. _Overflowing_ occurred nearly every year, and so the clinic was always packed with the less seriously injured people. And that's where Meredith ended up being stuck.

"Hey the clinic isn't always so bad," Lexie said as she and Meredith were doing sutures. It was Lexie's day with Meredith, and neither one of them could complain. They enjoyed spending some time together like this.

"I know, but I miss the thrill and the surgery."

Lexie giggled. "You'll survive Mer. You'll see. Your last month and a half will go by in a flash, and once the babies are born, you won't have the time or the energy to miss surgery."

Meredith laughed. "That's true."

Lexie gave her a reassuring smile. "Are you excited?"

Meredith nodded. "I can't wait. Neither can Derek. It seems like it's been forever that these little monsters have been in there. But…"

Lexie rested her hand on her shoulder. "But it's scary too. It's okay."

"It's not the idea of having them be born that scares me. It's the actual part of giving birth. And it probably wouldn't be as frightening if it weren't for all the high risk complications. I'm petrified of what could happen, would could go wrong. What if I lost one of them? Or both of them? Or, I don't know, I end up in a coma for years?"

"Meredith stop!" Lexie demanded. "What happened to staying positive? I thought you wanted all of us to have positive frame of minds, yet your being as negative as can be? And you're scaring me! None of those things can happen, or else we'll all be devastated. Think about Derek! Oh god, he'd never recover if something were to happen to you… Great, now you've got negative thoughts in my head. And now I'll be as scared as hell if I end up pregnant and rather than be excited I'll think about all the crap you went through, and I'll break Mark's heart because he'd be so excited and –"

"Breathe Lexie!" Meredith demanded. "And stop. We're one as bad as the other."

They sat there silently for a few seconds, but Meredith couldn't help the little smile that was building on her lips. "You're thinking about kids."

Lexie groaned. "This is not where this was supposed to go. I'm worrying about you. Don't distract me from trying to keep you positive."

"You and Mark having kids is positive. It would make me the awesome aunt. And could you imagine how Mark would react if you were pregnant? He would be overjoyed! And I can see it now. He'll be running up and down the halls of the hospital skipping and humming."

Lexie couldn't help but laugh at the image Meredith put in her head. "Seeing Mark like that would be quite the sight…"

Meredith smiled as she rested her hand on Lexie's shoulder. "And you wouldn't go through all the things I'm going through. I have terrible luck. You won't go through all this crap. I know it. And, you'd make such an amazing mother that you truly wouldn't care about all the things you need to go through during the time you're carrying your child in you. It doesn't matter, the suffering, as long as everything turns out just right in the end. And everything will. For both of us."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I hate Halloween," Derek announced as he made his way down to the OR, where him and Miranda were operating on a teenage boy who had been catapulted into the street where he collided with a car. His friends had thought it would be a funny prank, but they hadn't thought of the consequences.

"Me too," Miranda nodded. "That's why Tuck stays with his father on Halloween. I don't want to have anything to do with it."

Derek nodded as he opened the door to the scrub room.

"I don't mind the aspect of going door to door in costumes for candy. We had plenty of smiling faces at the house last year and it brings joy to see the innocence of childhood. It's the trick part I don't like."

Miranda smiled. "You're imagining your kids in the cutest little costumes at your door for candy, aren't you?"

Derek smirked. "You know me to well."

Miranda laughed.

The surgery had sadly taken a bad turn, and the nineteen year old didn't make it through. It crushed Derek to see his life taken away from him at such a young age, but he knew he did all he could. Now, he had to break it to his family and friends.

"I hate this part," Derek said with a sigh as he and Miranda headed out to talk to those waiting for news in the waiting room.

"Is he okay?" his anxious mother looked at Derek, wanting it to be good news. But she knew, by the expression on Derek's face that it wasn't good. "Oh God… no… no!"

"I'm sorry… we did everything we could."

The other boys standing there couldn't believe it. They had been the ones who had killed him. It had been their fault.

Before turning around, Derek noticed the only other girl there aside the mother. Silent tears were streaming down her face. Derek approached her, wanting to be of some help.

"He was close to you, wasn't he?" he asked. Miranda just watched as Derek interacted with the young girl.

She nodded. "He was my best friend, my boyfriend. We loved each other so much, and we were going to get married someday, when we were old enough." She shook her head. "He was a sophomore in university. I am too. We've been friends since we were in diapers. Started dating in the eleventh grade. We had our whole lives ahead of us. And his stupid friends. He thought they were cool, that he was cool because he was friends with them. I've never liked them. And now he's dead. And, I'm… I'm… he left me… he left me… and I didn't tell him. I should've told him… "

Derek didn't know what she was talking about anymore. He didn't follow the last little part. _Told him what?_ He rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"A loss like this is terrible. It rips you apart, I know. But you need to know that he's not suffering, and that he's watching over for you."

The young girl raised her eyes to meet Derek's. She then looked back down to her stomach and rested her hands there and cried. Derek suddenly understood.

_I should've told him…_ The words made sense. She was pregnant, and the father was dead.

"Oh God no," Derek whispered as he shook his head. Now he wished there had been something more he could've done to save him.

"We knew we loved each other, that we'd be together for life. So we tried… and then I found out… and I was going to tell him tonight… but… now…"

Derek didn't know what to do. He didn't know what he had gotten himself into. He needed Meredith right now. She had gotten good at this type of thing.

"You have options," Derek turned back into a doctor. He looked around and noticed the only person still around was Miranda. The boy's family and friends were all gone. "Adoption, or keeping the baby… there's termination, but I don't recommend it…"

The young girl nodded. "I'm keeping the baby," she whispered very low. "I've already decided that. It's all I'll have left of him."

Derek nodded. "My wife, she has a home for young mothers. It's not far from here. And it gives people like you the support they need."

The young girl looked up to him. "Really?"

Derek grabbed her hand. "Really. Here's all the information you need." He pulled a card out of his pocket. "And the people there, they're all wonderful. I know them very well, and they'll take care of you."

The young girl shook her head. "I don't know… I don't know how to thank you…"

Derek stood up as he helped her up. "There's no need. You take care of yourself."

The young girl nodded. "I hope…I don't want to be nosy… I wanted… why do you care? I mean… I'm a complete stranger… why… I don't get it…"

Derek smiled sadly. "I've nearly lost the love of my life, several times. I feel so thankful that she's made it through, but then I see others that suffer because there is nothing anyone can do for the people they love. It's my way of showing how grateful I am. And I hate to see people suffer. I ache when I see people suffer. I feel like I need to do something, anything to help them just the slightest bit. You just happened to be the one who seemed to be suffering the most."

She nodded as she looked down to the card in her hand and thanked him. Derek smiled sadly as she walked off slowly.

"Derek…" Miranda blubbered from behind him. Derek turned around and noticed Miranda's teary eyes.

"Didn't realize I had depth, did you?" he asked.

Miranda shook her head. "Never again will I doubt that you have a big heart. Meredith is lucky she has someone like you around to care for her." This revelation coming from Miranda brought joy to his heart. Never had he seen her like this since that day oh so long ago, where she had told him not to hurt her. "You've got a heart of gold Derek Shepherd."

"So I've been told."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Addison had the day off and was spending it with Nathaniel, who was now four weeks old. Sam had done such a great job of being the greatest father he could be, and Addie regretted having ever thought that he was cheating on her.

"_I'm sorry," she said once he had mentioned that Derek had come by to visit him. "I jumped to conclusions. Now I feel like an asshole."_

_Sam had just laughed and kissed her. "I should've told you about my mother, and why I was calling her so late. She's going to love you."_

_Addie smiled. "You think so?"_

_Sam nodded. "I know so."_

And today, she was going to get to meet her future mother in law.

Sam had just left to go to the airport to pick her up. He had been so excited since the moment he had told her that she was coming to visit. He hadn't told his brothers, because he wanted to surprise them. Only Addison knew.

"We're here," Addie heard Sam announce as the doors opened. Addie came out, Nathaniel in her arms, to greet them.

"Mom, this is Addison," Sam introduced them right away. "And this is little Nathaniel."

"It's nice to meet you," Lina said as she brought Addison in for a quick hug. "And this little one is the most precious thing I've seen since Noah was born."

Addie giggled. "He is pretty adorable."

Lina looked up to Addie. "Sammy here has told me so much about you. I couldn't wait to finally meet you."

"Likewise Mrs.…" Addie looked over to Sam for help, but Lina bet him to it.

"You can call me Lina," she said with a smile. "You will be my daughter after all."

Addie's face became slightly pink. "Yes, of course."

Sam smiled brightly as his two favorite woman continued to chat. Never had he expected all of this.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Derek, hun, what's wrong?" Meredith said as she walked into his office and noticed his pained expression. He was at his desk, trying to concentrate on his work, but he had trouble keeping his mind off of the young girl from this morning.

Meredith took a seat on his lap and Derek wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her shoulder. "I lost my patient this morning."

Meredith wrapped her arms around him to give him a hug. "Oh Derek. You did everything you could."

Derek shook his head. "It's not the patient that has put me in this state. It's his girlfriend."

Meredith pulled away slightly. "What…?"

Derek looked up at her. "They were young and in love. Both in university. They had their entire lives ahead of them, and then… then it ended. In the blink of an eye."

Meredith rubbed his back. "That's terrible…"

"She's pregnant. And he didn't know," Derek continued.

Meredith looked at him. "Oh dear… is she okay?"

Derek shook his head. "Of course not… she's scared, she's hurt… she's devastated. And the love of her life is dead."

Meredith noticed the tears glistening in his eyes. "Derek… " she whispered as she wiped away the tears.

"Don't do that to me Meredith," he said as he looked at her, and his expression broke Meredith. "Don't disappear on me."

Meredith kissed Derek softly. "I'm right here Derek. I'll always be right here."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Helicopter landing in ten minutes," Dr Lewis called out. "Patient is said to be coming in from Iraq. An American soldier. Get a room ready."

The resident nodded as he ran off to follow his orders. He made his way to the launch pad to await the helicopter.

When it finally made a landing not too far from where he was standing, and the blades had slowed enough for him to approach it without being blown away, he made a rush to meet the paramedic who was already starting to unload the patient.

"Theodora Altman," he started to present. "37. Unconscious after the base 209 in Iraq was bombed unexpectedly. First Aid base, to be precise."

Malcolm nodded as he started to push the gurney towards the elevator. "Why was she sent here?"

The paramedic shrugged. "Something about her having been here before, or she has connections with Seattle Grace… I'm not too sure."

Malcolm would find out later. Right now, he needed to find a way to make sure this dedicated soldier survived.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek had been paged to the ER. It had been from Dr Lewis and it seemed quite urgent. He didn't know what to expect, but he rushed to find him anyway, after making sure Meredith was with someone. That someone happened to end up being Mark.

"How does it feel to be a babysitter?" Meredith asked with a giggle as she looked up towards Mark who was sitting in Derek's chair behind his desk. She was spread out across the couch and well relaxed.

"Not as bad as I thought it would be. You're not as bad as I would have expected."

Meredith grabbed an eraser from the side table beside the couch and tossed it at Mark. It hit him in the eye.

"Nice aim," Mark laughed as he threw it back and missed by a mile. "How does it feel to be babysat?"

Meredith groaned. "It feels like I'm a frigging little kid again. But, Derek and Addie mean well. They want to keep an eye on me, and this way, they know I'm okay."

"You're lucky to have so many people worry about you."

Meredith smiled. "Oh don't I know it."

Mark got up and took a seat by Meredith's feet.

"So," Meredith started as a smirk built at the corner of her lips, "have you and Lexie talked any about kids?"

Mark flopped on the couch as he lifted his feet and spread himself out on the couch, still facing Meredith. "Not really," he admitted. "I mean, we both know it's part of our future, but we haven't really discussed it. After we get married, it'll definitely be something we'll discuss," he finished with a smile.

Meredith pated his knee. "You guys will make such amazing parents. You know that, right?"

Mark smirked. "Carolyn says I'm still a kid, so who better to actually raise one?"

Meredith laughed. "I don't think that would actually work, but you've got a great heart and any kid would be lucky to have you as a dad."

Mark smiled. "You and Derek won't be too bad either."

Meredith giggled. "Do you remember that day, when you showed up and Derek knocked you to the ground?"

"How could I forget? That's the day we founded the dirty mistress club."

"We've had quite the history, haven't we?" Meredith thought about all the things they had been through.

Mark laughed. "Have we ever. I mean, at first, I enjoyed bugging Derek by hanging around you. Then, when Derek and I finally made up, you became like a little sister. Then, with Lexie, I was scared of you. I know you told Derek to, wasn't it to 'keep little Sloan out of little Grey'?"

Meredith couldn't help but giggle. "I was trying to protect her! I didn't know you would change so drastically!"

Mark smiled. "She's done wonders to me. The Shepherd sisters still don't believe that I'm Mark Sloan."

"I don't believe it either, and I've seen you through it all!"

Just then the doors burst open and a perplexed Lexie walked in. "What the…?"

Mark and Meredith exchanged a glance and burst out laughing as Lexie looked at them, totally puzzled.

"Just thinking back on our history," Meredith said.

"Oh… well… I can go…"

Meredith laughed. "Lex, I'm your sister and he's you fiancé. Don't you think we'd love for you to join us?"

"I had just come to make sure you weren't alone… I saw Derek heading down to the ER, and then realized that meant that nobody was with you, but I guess I was wrong…"

Mark patted his lap and Lexie smiled as she entered and took a seat.

"So what were you guys talking about?"

Meredith and Mark exchanged a smirk. "Plenty."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Dr Lewis," Derek said as he found Malcolm waiting for him in front of a patients room. "What have you got?"

"A 37 year old who's been unconscious for nearly a day now but no sign of anything on her CT. I just wanted you to take a second look, in case I missed something."

Derek nodded as Malcolm passed him the scans. Derek looked over them, but he too saw nothing. Then he remembered Meredith.

"Meredith, she was unconscious for days with no reason. We finally decided that it had something to do with everything she was going through and the stress she was living in. Is there any friends or family with the patient that could maybe tell us if she's been through any great amount of commotion lately?"

Malcolm shook his head. "No family of friends. Paramedic says she was flown in from Iraq after her base was blown up. I don't know if there was anyone there who knew what was going on in her life. She has nobody with her."

Derek was puzzled. "Flown in from Iraq? Why was she sent here?"

Malcolm shrugged. "I don't know. The paramedic said something about her having connections with the hospital. Maybe she's been admitted here before or has worked here. She was stationed at the first aid base, so she's probably a doctor."

Derek let that go through his mind… _Worked here. _

"Patient's name?" Derek asked, and Dr Lewis thought he heard fright in his voice.

"Theodora Altman."

_Theodora…_

"Teddy…" Derek mumbled as he opened the door to the patient's room. Sure enough, Teddy was there unconscious before his eyes.

"She'll wake up soon," Derek said, hoping he was right.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

When the hospital found out about Teddy being within the four walls of the hospital again, they were all hoping for the best. She had been a good doctor, a good friend. People came to visit her, others just kept her in mind. Especially those who had known her quite well. Arizona had spent most of her day off sitting in the small chair in the corner of the room. Mark had been in several times, getting updates every time he did.

And then there was Cristina. She didn't know how she should feel about this. She surely didn't want anything bad to happen to her, and she really didn't blame Teddy for had happened with Owen. She had known her and Owen were coming to an end, and that Teddy and Owen had history. She was almost, happy for them. And she and Teddy had been good friends once they got over their differences. She had enjoyed working with Teddy. And she had enjoyed having her company.

But the hospital was a gossip hospital. And they all thought that Cristina was to hate the woman who had ruined her relationship. They didn't know the story. They didn't have any idea what had gone on between the three of them. They just thought that Cristina shouldn't care what happened to Teddy. They didn't think about the fact that Cristina truly could care about people, and that she was pained that her mentor was suffering. They didn't think, period. They just whispered and stared, and whispered some more.

The room was dark when Cristina had decided to go in. She was on-call tonight, and most of the Halloween stupidity was coming to an end, it being nearly midnight. Arizona had gone home, so Teddy was alone in the room. Cristina took a seat beside the bed and sighed.

"I don't hate you," she said. "Almost far from that. Everyone thinks I should hate you, but I can't. You were a good person, a good mentor. A good friend. It's not our fault that Owen was an idiot who couldn't make up his mind." Christina let out a small giggle. "And I'm happy now. And I don't know why I am telling you this, but I'm happy. I've found the people who I know I can trust, I've made amends with people I never thought I'd ever let into my life again and I've found a guy who truly loves me. And I've changed since the last time you were here. I'm a completely different person. And the past is the past. I know people think I should hate you, but I never hated you, and I'm quite sure I never will."

Cristina felt like an idiot, talking to an unconscious person, but it felt good to let it all out.

"Thank you."

Cristina jumped at the sound of the voice. Had Teddy just answered?

"You're awake?"

Teddy laughed. "Have been for a while now. But I fell back asleep. That's why you believed I was unconscious. You can't be fooled by what meets the eye."

Cristina nodded and a small smile appeared on her lips. "Does anyone know you're awake? Cause as a doctor, you should know that your doctors are supposed to know when you've woken up."

Teddy shook her head slowly. "When I clued in to the fact that I was at Seattle Grace, I needed to give myself time. It's tough, you know, to be back here…" she trailed off not finishing her thought. A silent tears slid down her cheek, but Cristina didn't ask about it. But she continued. "I had the time to think, and then I fell asleep from exhaustion. And now I'm awake, and I've thought about things and now you can do your job and page whoever you need to page," she finished with a small giggle.

She paged Derek, who was working all night. _It had been a good thing that Mama Shepherd had decided to stay around because then Derek doesn't have to worry about Meredith as much on nights like tonight_, Cristina thought.

"Dr Shepherd," Teddy said as she recognized her former boss come in.

"Teddy, it's good to see you awake," Derek answered with a smile.

He checked her vitals and made sure everything was okay before he took a seat beside Cristina. "I need to ask you a few questions for the report. We've started doing research on stress causing the lengthening of someone being unconscious. We've had a few patients come in lately who have stayed unconscious with no evidence of a severe brain injury or any other sort of incident requiring intense medical care. So the question now is, has there an over excessive amount of stress in your life before the accident?"

Teddy stayed quiet for several seconds before she started to sob. Derek and Cristina exchanged glances, knowing that they were on to something.

"Teddy," Derek said as he rested his hand on her shoulder. "If you're not ready to talk about it then it can wait a little while."

Teddy shook her head. "No… it's… " she glanced up at Cristina and Cristina suddenly knew what it was about.

"Teddy, it's about Owen, isn't it?"

Teddy nodded.

"I'm over him and what has happened, I told you that. Don't be afraid of my feelings."

Teddy slowly nodded again before starting her story.

"Owen and I had been on a rocky edge before we left here. Things were kind of awkward, especially when you were seen with Dr Avery and Owen got a little jealous. But then, after the wedding, we headed off and we needed each other to make it through it all again. We got so much closer. It was hard to believe. Not only did we rebuild our incredible friendship, we fell in love. If it hadn't of been for the fact that we were in a war zone, things would have been amazing. We even had our own little secret place where we could go off and hide when things were calm. I felt like a teenager again, sneaking around behind my parents back." She giggled a little at the thought. "Things were great.

"He told me we would spend forever together. He… proposed, sort of… he didn't have a ring, so he just told me he wanted to make it special when we were home safe. And I was overjoyed. Things had never been better between us, ever.

"He was sent off on a special run, just a few days ago." The tears started to flow. "They were supposed to be back that night, but they never showed. We thought maybe they had just gotten a little caught behind, but a few days went by and there was still no sign of him or the others he had gone with. So they sent out some choppers to look for them. They didn't find them…"

Cristina and Derek didn't need any more explanation. They knew what this meant**. **

"Teddy…" Cristina rested a hand on her shoulder and let a tear slip. "We're here for you. Everything will be okay."

Derek nodded. "You've got us. All of us."

Teddy nodded slowly as she wiped away some of her tears. "There's another thing though… I think… I think I'm pregnant."

Both of the doctors' breaths hitched slightly. They were quiet for a moment, but finally, Cristina was the one to speak up.

"More the reason for us to be there for you," she said with a sad smile. "You've got us now."

**Teddy's back ! I've started to really like her on the show so I wanted to bring her back in here too. And all the rest is just a little fun heart string pulling, emotion filled, fun loving moments. Anyway, I hope you guys all enjoyed and I promise, the next chapter is full of surprises along with all the chapters to come !**


	50. Stormy Weather

Teddy had never been more thankful in her life. The people she used to confide in, her old coworkers, her old friends, they were there for her and she couldn't help but feel absolutely and completely grateful for everything that they had done for her. As soon as she was released, Richard had offered her head of Cardio. Her old job was to be hers again, since Burke had left just a few weeks previous to her arrival and as soon as she had found out, she couldn't wait to start. Mark had let her move into his old apartment, which was absolutely the most amazing thing anyone had ever done for her in these circumstances. She had Addie living a few doors down, and Callie and Arizona across the hall. She'd never be alone if she needed help. The people she had known had changed so much, they seemed like complete strangers. She had noticed right away the family bond between all of them, and she couldn't believe how much she had missed in the past six months.

Lina Rivera had made a decision that would change not only her life, but the life of her children to a point that would make them different people. After a very emotional reunion with her three boys, she had decided that she wasn't going to miss out on anything else in their lives. She had already missed too much, and she wasn't going to let it go any further. She would be getting all of her things shipped from Dubai and would be permanently moving back to Seattle, as to not miss out on her boys lives anymore, and she would get a second chance at not only being their mother, but she'd get to watch her little grandson Nathaniel grow up and that brought tears to her eyes. She wasn't letting herself miss the happiest moments in her sons' lives.

As for the rest of the Seattle Grace crew, life had been slow since Halloween. Very little emergency surgeries and plenty of successful procedures had made it a good week. It was a happy time in Seattle, and the thought of there now being four new little ones on their way made everyone's smiles a little brighter. Even though the news had nearly broken Teddy when she found out she was in fact pregnant, with the encouragement of all of her friends, she realized it wasn't as bad as it seemed. Miranda had taken her under her wing, and Meredith and Addie assured her that everything would be fine and that they'd be there for her throughout it all.

As Derek dropped Meredith off at the main doors of the hospital, he gave her a quick kiss and gave her an intent look.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" he asked, a little nervous at the idea of him not being at work with her. He had done everything he could for the last month to make sure they worked basically the same schedule, but it happened here and there that they ended up with different days and Derek worried every time.

"I'll be fine Derek," she said with a smile. "Look, Addie's waiting for me, see? I'll be fine."

"Fine," Derek chuckled hesitantly. "I don't like that word."

Meredith gave him another quick peck before getting out. "Have a good time with Dylan," she called out before she shut the door behind her.

"I'll try," he mumbled to himself as the dark clouds above him got a little darker. Seattle was in for quite the surprise.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"The wedding's less than two months away," Carolyn said with a smile as she and Lexie grabbed a cup of coffee at the coffee cart and took a seat at the nearest table. Lexie had been on call, and she had just gotten off. Carolyn had come in to pick her up, since Mark was still working and he'd surely need the car to get home that evening. But they had both opted for a cup of coffee before heading out.

"I know!" she exclaimed. "It feels… unbelievable. I never thought of us like this when we started seeing each other. But now, we're… we're getting married…"

Lexie couldn't help but feel a little bit of a panic all of a sudden. She was getting married. The thought had never really scared her before, but all of a sudden she felt as if she was having cold feet.

"Lex, are you alright?" Carolyn asked, a little unsure.

"What if things don't work out, if Mark realizes he's not the guy who settles down and starts a family? I mean, he's always been the guy who had one night stands and slept with whoever he could get his hands on… he never truly was committed and all of a sudden he is? What if this isn't what –"

Carolyn cut her off. "Lexie, listen to yourself! It's been months since your engagement and your thinking about this now? And what has gotten all these ideas into your head to start with? Mark has changed because of you! I don't know how many times people have told you, but Mark is committed all of a sudden because he finally fell in love!"

Lexie took a sip of her coffee. "I'm sorry," she said, and as she thought about everything she had just said, she felt her eyes become slightly moist. "It's just, I'm scared… and I know I shouldn't be, but everyone has their issues, and I don't want ours to be divorce in ten years. I want to be with him for the rest of my life."

Carolyn smiled. "You are nearly as bad as Meredith. The two of you are definitely related. You need to be positive, not thinking about divorce two months before your wedding. You're going to wear yourself out with stress and that isn't good…" she finished, wanting to add something more, but she kept it to herself.

"I know, I'm sorry." She finished her coffee and after a few moments of silence, she suggested they head out. Carolyn agreed as she got up and tossed her coffee cup in the garbage nearing the door.

They were about to head out when they noticed the small crowd gathered around the TV in the corner of the lobby, near the chairs for the families who were waiting for their dear ones. But most people gathered around the TV were wearing scrubs, and whatever was on had them intrigued.

"I wonder what's going on…" Carolyn mumbled as Lexie looked at her and suggested they check it out.

"What's going on?" Lexie asked Cristina who was one of the many people standing around the small screen. She shushed her and motioned to the screen.

"_The storm came out of nowhere and none of the radar's in all of Washington caught it until just now. Winds up to sixty miles per hour, the highest we've seen in a long time. Torrential rains have started just outside of Seattle, but it won't be long until the heavy rains make their way into the city. Several small towns around the city are already without power, and we're hoping the storm calms some before reaching Seattle, but we want everyone to be prepared. We're recommending everyone stay inside until the storm warning passes."_

The red screen popped up just after that posting a hurricane warning. Everyone started to mumble amongst each other and take glances out the window at the very dark sky.

"How could they have not seen this coming?" Lexie asked, shook up by the news.

"I don't know," Cristina said, "but it looks like I'll be staying here until it passes. I'm not going out in that weather."

Carolyn looked at Lexie. "I'm sorry, but I don't think we'll be leaving here anytime soon. I'm not used to this bad weather, so driving in it doesn't seem too exciting."

Lexie shook her head. "I wouldn't be leaving if I were to drive in this either, so I don't blame you. And I'm sure we can find something to do."

"What's with the crowd?" Meredith's voice caught them by surprise. They turned around in time to see her and Addie approach, apparently not having heard about the weather.

"They've just posted a hurricane warning and are recommending people stay put until it passes," Lexie explained. "So we're stuck here on my day off."

Carolyn laughed. "I don't even work here and I'm stuck here. And like you said, I'm sure we can find something to do."

Addie nodded. "There's never a dull moment at Seattle Grace. I'm sure you could find some interesting stories from someone and pass the time in a flash."

As Addison said flash, a flash of lightning made its way through the sky, making Meredith jump slightly.

"I'm not a big fan of thunder storms," she admitted.

Carolyn shook her head. "Me neither."

Cristina got a page and dashed off, and Lexie and Carolyn decided they'd wander back to the cafeteria where they'd sit and do today's crossword puzzle until something better came up.

"That's one big storm," Meredith admitted as they walked across onto the catwalk to get their own look of the storm from the best viewing place in the hospital.

"Is it ever."

"Do you know what the first thing I thought about this morning while waking up was?" she started out of the blue.

Addie arched her eyebrow. "Do I want to know?"

Meredith smirked. "Well, I realized this morning that I've been back at the hospital for exactly a month, to the day and that nothing has happened to get me back on bed rest. Now we've got this storm on our hands and Derek had this look this morning as if he knew something bad would happen. Is it just me of does this all equal bad?"

Addie chuckled. "Meredith, stop worrying. Today's just any other day, with a lot of rain and a lot of wind. Derek always thinks something bad is going to happen."

Meredith shrugged. "I guess so."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Cristina had been on Teddy's service since yesterday when Teddy had been back to being head of cardio. She enjoyed having her as a teacher again, and even more she enjoyed the friendship that had been growing between them. Since that night with her and Derek in her room, Teddy had spent a lot of time confiding in Cristina, and eventually Cristina started to confide in her too. She had only been back for less than a week, but that hadn't mattered. Putting their past behind them, they realized they were a lot alike and could learn some important lessons from each other.

"Patient's in distress," Teddy said as Cristina entered the room. "Go book and OR. We need to go in."

Cristina nodded and rushed off to find an available OR. Luckily, they were almost all empty and they could get in without an issue.

"Did you hear about the storm?" Cristina asked Teddy as they were scrubbing in.

Teddy nodded. "Yeah, and I see it's not calming down like they were hoping it would."

"Have they checked the generators in the past year to make sure they will come into action if needed today?"

Teddy shrugged. "You're asking the wrong person."

Just then, Richard came in, getting ready to scrub into his surgery which was happening in the next OR.

"Dr Webber probably knows," Teddy said.

"Knows what?" he asked.

"If the generators are working in case the power goes out today."

He nodded immediately. "They are and if we do lose our power, the OR's and the ICU can be run off of generators for at least 72 hours. As for the rest of the hospital, I think only the machinery will function. And I doubt anything non medical will function."

They nodded.

"But don't worry about it. Worse things have happen in the hospital than a power outage."

The girls said a quick goodbye to Richard before heading to the OR, where they hoped everything would run smoothly.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"What are you two still doing here?" Mark asked as he noticed Carolyn and Lexie sitting in the cafeteria. He had just gotten out of surgery and it was nearing lunchtime. He had decided to grab something quick before checking in on his patients. But he didn't understand why his mother and his fiancée were still here, when Lexie's shift ended four hours ago.

"You didn't hear?" Lexie asked.

"Hear what?"

"There's a major storm out there and they want everyone to stay indoors and off the roads. Where better than the hospital to be stranded?"

"Um, home?"

Lexie shooed him with her hand. "Whatever. We've been here since almost nine and so far we've gotten through todays, yesterday's and Thursday's crosswords, have talked to Amy and Jackson and have driven ourselves into boredom."

Carolyn nodded as she sipped her water and Mark just laughed as he pulled his key out of his pocket. "Here," he said as he tossed it to Lexie. "My office."

Lexie smiled. "Thanks, but that doesn't make today any less boring."

Mark smirked. "Bottom drawer on the right of my desk. You'll find a jumbo crossword puzzle book," he said as he walked off, laughing as Lexie and Carolyn both sighed.

What a long day.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek walked into the small café where he was meeting Dylan. He had heard the news and had seen the storm, but that didn't bother him, nor did it bother Dylan. They hadn't seen each other in six months and had been looking forward to getting to see each other again. A storm wasn't going to stop him, even if it was getting close to a hurricane.

The café was deserted. The only people there other than Derek were the two employees who were sitting behind the cash. When they heard him come in, they welcomed him with their usual smiles.

"Good morning Dr Shepherd," one of them said. They had gotten to know him quite well since this was his favorite café in town, and he was here several times a week on occasions. It was usually fairly quiet, so the employees had a good time getting to know their customers. He wasn't any different. "What are you doing here on such a terrible day?"

Derek laughed as he pulled off his coat and set it down on a chair at the table he picked. "I'm meeting a cousin of mine. He's in town only for the weekend and we weren't letting the storm get in the ways of our plans."

The other one laughed. "Your wife was right, you are stubborn," he said with a laugh.

Just then the doors opened and Dylan came in. "Derek!"

"Dylan!" Derek greeted him with a pat on the back. They took their orders and sat at the table. It was nearing twelve, but neither one of them ordered lunch. Just coffees and muffins.

"How are things?" Derek asked.

Dylan smiled. "Great, truly. Lisa just landed the lead in her class presentation of Romeo and Juliet and she's never been more excited. And Trevor's hockey team is going to a tournament for four days and he can't wait to get away from us," he added with a laugh. "Plus, Trish and I are bringing the kids to Cuba for their Christmas present. We're going in March and I think Trish and I are going to enjoy it more then they will." They chuckled as Derek agreed with him. "How about with you?"

Derek sighed. "Things have been tough with Meredith's pregnancy but lately all seems to be going well. We've had some tough times in the last few months, but we've gotten over them and things are great between us. Mom is here too, has been for a little over a month now. She's staying until the babies are born, so it's great to have her around."

Dylan nodded, then caught on to something. "You said babies, as in more than one…"

Derek smiled. "We found out during the summer that we're having twins."

"That's incredible!" Dylan exclaimed.

Derek nodded. "It's amazing, and I can't describe how it feels, but it won't be long now before-"

He stopped when all the lights shut off and he could hear everything shut down.

"Looks like the storm knocked out the power," Saul, one of the employees called out. "You guys want to come back by the fire and listen to the news?"

The boys exchanged a look and agreed to head back where they'd stay warm and listen to the latest weather update. Apparently, the storm was getting worse, and that they didn't know how long it would last, when the power would be back, or to what extent damages in the city were. They said that emergency measures were in order and that the city's cell towers were running off of generators so contact would be easy.

As if to prove it, Derek's cell rang. He felt his breath catch in his throat when Addie's name came onto the screen. He knew it was Meredith even before he answered.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"So who do I ship you off onto when I go into surgery?" Addison asked with a giggle.

"I could find Lexie and Carolyn. I'm sure they could use some company."

Addie smirked. "I can't imagine having to spend more time than necessary in this place. We already spend over half of our week here."

Meredith shrugged. "As long as you've got something to keep you occupied it's not so bad."

"Easy for you to say!" Addie exclaimed with a laugh. "You haven't had to spend much time here in the last six months."

"Once you stop spending so much time here, you start to realize how much you miss it. And it's not even the whole being surgeons part that you end up missing, it's spending time with everyone here. And I guess you miss the whole being a surgeon part too," she added with a giggle.

"Well I'll have to see that for myself. Just another month or so…"

Meredith smiled. "I can't believe it's so close. I mean, it feels like it was just yesterday that I ended up being your last patient of the day."

Addie laughed. "That was quite the encounter. I'm glad we've gotten the chance to become friends though. If it weren't for that coincidence, I wonder where we'd be…"

"I'd be attempting to fight of Rose without you and would have to deal with Derek's absurdness on my own."

"Good point," Addie said with a bright smile.

Meredith sighed, not sure how to state her next point. "Addison, I know that… you don't need to be here for me. You should be home with your son, and I don't want you to feel like I'm a burden, or that I'm keeping you away from your family and, I mean, if something were to happen, somebody could page you and you could spend this time with Nathaniel instead of babysitting me but you –"

"Meredith, stop. We've been over this before." Addie made her stop and look at her. "I'm here because I want to be here. The chief, your husband, has already been through this several times with me. Derek's been asking me several times a week if I'm sure I wouldn't rather be at home with my son, and I've assured him that I want to be with you as much as I want to be with him, so I'm splitting the time. My shifts are shorter, I'm taking on less surgeries so I can escape home for a few hours. And I'm never working when you're not on. I want to be here for you no matter what."

Meredith nodded and when Addison smiled, she couldn't help but giggle. "So I'm not a burden?"

"Of course not! You're far from that. You're a person who's close to my heart whom I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to."

Meredith smiled as Addie brought her in for a quick hug. "Thank you," she mumbled.

"No need for thank yous. You're worth it." She let go and smiled to Meredith before checking her watch and noticing that it was nearing time for her surgery. "I'm just going to check and see if my intern has prepped my patient for my surgery, then we'll go see if we can find you a babysitter for a few hours."

Meredith groaned. "Don't use the word babysitter."

"Technically, it's because of the babies that you are being babysat, so it is completely appropriate," Addie said with a giggle as Meredith rolled her eyes. "Come on, it's not so bad. I'll be back in a second. You okay here for ten minutes?"

"Addie, I'm in an area full of people in the middle of a hospital. I'll be fine."

Addie laughed. "Okay then, if you're so sure."

Meredith sighed as she turned to head towards the chairs by the elevator, but was stopped when she heard someone call her name.

"Meredith?"

The voice was familiar, but not a voice she could put a name to right away. It had been a while since she had heard that voice. Several years to be more precise…

She turned around and nearly gasped as she noticed the man standing just a few feet away. "Finn?"

He laughed. "Jeez, I wasn't expecting such a drastic reaction. I'm not a ghost."

Meredith giggled. "No it's not that, it's just… I don't know. It's just kind of shocking."

Finn nodded. "Not expecting to see me here? I can understand that." He paused. "So you're still working here?"

Meredith nodded. "It feels like I've been here an eternity when in reality it's only been four years."

Finn laughed. "I can understand that. It feels like a lifetime ago since the last time I was here."

Meredith thought about the last time she had seen him in the hospital. Just after her appendectomy. "Wait, why are you here? Oh god, is someone you know hurt? I can get an update for you if you need it…"

Finn shook his head. "No no. My… well I guess she's my girlfriend, she works here."

Meredith giggled. "Another Seattle Grace woman? Hmm… do you have a thing for hospital staff?"

Finn blushed slightly. "It's… recent. We met when she moved here… her dog is one of my…"

"Patients?"

Finn shrugged. "If you say so."

Meredith nodded. "Well she's one lucky woman."

Finn smiled. "She's pretty amazing. She's a single mom and –"

Just then they were interrupted by a little girl's voice. "Meredith!"

Meredith looked down and noticed Stephanie running towards them.

"Stephanie!" she said with a smile. "What are you doing here in this bad weather?"

"Mommy couldn't find me someone to stay with cause nobody wanted to leave home because of the storm." She then looked at Finn and smiled. Meredith looked at Finn and noticed him perplexed stare.

"How… you…" he mumbled, but he didn't have a chance to finish.

"So mommy was talking to Finny when she got to work and he said he'd come get me before the storm got any worse. And now we're going to my house and we're going to play Barbie's all afternoon. Right Finny?"

"You're dating Catherine!" Meredith exclaimed. "You're with… This is just…"

"How do you know… I mean, I know you guys work together, but even then… how…?"

"Stephanie was my patient just a few months ago. We got to know each other because I was watching out for her while Catherine was in the hospital after a car accident. We have become quite good friends and I'm actually the one who told her about applying for a job here."

Stephanie looked back and forth between Meredith and Finn. "Meredith, how do you know Finny?"

Meredith laughed. "Finny and I used to be like him and your mommy, but we weren't meant for each other. But it looks like it ended up being a good thing in the end because now Finny's with your mommy and your mommy needs someone like Finny."

Just then, they heard Catherine approach. "Finn! Thank you for doing this!" she gave him a quick hug before turning to Meredith. "I would introduce you to Finn, but it looks like Stephanie has taken care of that."

Meredith and Finn chuckled slightly as Stephanie shook her head. "No silly, they used to be like you and Finny, but now they're not."

Catherine looked up to Meredith and Finn for an explanation to her daughter's statement. "Well, we dated a few years back…" Meredith admitted. Catherine's jaw dropped at the information.

"Well… that's quite the coincidence."

"Dr Dandridge?" Addie's voice interrupted them all.

"Dr Montgomery," he said with a smile. "It's good seeing you, in better circumstances."

Addie laughed. "You could say that." She looked around at the people standing in front of her, then back at Finn. "What are you doing here?"

Meredith didn't give him the chance to answer. "He's dating Catherine."

Addison looked at Catherine incredulously. "You've been dating someone and you haven't said anything?"

Catherine still couldn't get over the fact that she was dating someone who knew all of the people she worked with. "We just… it hasn't been long… and I didn't want to jinx it…"

Addie laughed. "No worries, I was just picking on you."

Catherine nodded slowly, still not understanding quite how all of this fit in, how they all knew each other. "How… how do you guys all…?"

Meredith giggled. "We'll go over it later. Right now, I'm thinking that if Finn wants to get Stephanie home before the storm gets any worse, they should get going soon." She paused, then turned to Finn. "Not that I wouldn't enjoy catching up sometime, but I have a feeling we'll have plenty of time for that now that you're part of the group."

"The group?" he asked, hesitantly.

"We're like a family here at Seattle Grace, and you're fresh meat," Meredith said with a laugh. "I'm kidding about the fresh meat thing, you know."

Finn nodded. "I was hoping."

Catherine nodded, agreeing to them getting on the road as soon as possible. "Stephie's stuff is in my locker, in the nurse's locker room. She knows the way."

Finn nodded as he gave Catherine a quick peck on the cheek and headed towards the elevator, led by Stephanie. Meredith and Addie said quick goodbyes to Catherine too and followed, them needing to get to the same floor as the nurse's locker room, where they could see who would be willing to keep an eye out on Meredith until Addie was out of surgery.

"What floor?" Finn asked as the four of them got onto the empty elevator.

"Four," the three of them answered at once, and Finn nodded with a small laugh.

"So Stephie, do you like Finny?" Meredith asked, as she glanced at Finn who was smirking behind Stephanie.

She nodded quickly. "He's really nice and he likes to play with me and he makes my mommy happy."

Addie giggled. "And now we need to go over a lot of things with your mommy."

Meredith and Finn nodded. "She was warned though when she started that things got weird around here," Meredith said with a smirk.

Addison laughed. "You've got that right."

Suddenly, the elevator came to an abrupt stop and it shook violently until the lights went out and were soon replaced by the emergency lights that just barely lit up the small confinement.

"What just happened?" Meredith asked, slightly freaked out. Stephanie wrapped herself around Meredith's leg and shivered, more than likely frightened by the ordeal.

Addie tried pushing some buttons on the controls, but nothing seemed to work. "I think the power just went off."

**I AM SO SO SO SO SORRY ! I know it's been an eternity since my last update, but life just sucks and leaves no time for the stuff I like to do. But I'll try, what with a new semester starting... It may be easier for the next little while since things are claming down a little bit. Anyway, I hope you guys like this ! And this is just the beginning (:**


	51. Hold on tight

**I'm sorry , I'm sorry ! I'm like the queen of evil, not updating very fast anymore... I keep saying that I'll update quicker now, but again, life keeps getting in the way. I'm going to try very hard to update faster, just like I'm going to try to reply to more of your reviews, but sometimes everything is just too much ! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter !**

The storm that was now just above Seattle was making life difficult at Seattle Grace. The wind was causing several accidents on the roads for the people stupid enough to leave their homes, the rain was making the roads even more terrible for the ambulances and on top of it all, the power had just been lost, and most of the hospital was only lit by the small emergency lights scattered around the building. The only places that were still with complete function were the OR and the ICU, as Richard had explained to Teddy and Cristina earlier that day.

"We have just been informed that the hospital is without power," a nurse said as she hung up the phone in the corner of the OR. Teddy and Cristina nodded, and continued on with their surgery.

"It's amazing how we never would have realized it until we left if it weren't for that phone call. The lights didn't even flicker in here," Cristina mentioned.

"They can't let it happen here," Teddy said. "Patients are in critical conditions in the OR. Even just a second without power could cause everything to go awry."

Cristina nodded and they finished up with their patient before witnessing the hospital in utter darkness.

"It's seems so dreary, even more than usual," Cristina mumbled as they wheeled their patient towards the elevator.

After pushing the down button several times, Teddy shook her head in frustration. "You'd think the elevators would work even without power. What happens to patients who need to get to the OR?"

Cristina shrugged, followed by a sigh. "Where do we put him then?"

Teddy motioned for them to bring him back to the OR so they could let the anesthetics wear off and they could explain to him why he wasn't in his room.

"I'll go inform his wife," Cristina said as she left and headed towards the staircase. They were even more dark then the halls, and Cristina found herself stumbling around. She lost her footing on the bottom step and if it weren't for a pair of sturdy arms that caught her, she would have stumbled face first unto the floor.

"I'm sorry," she apologized quickly, but as she tried to stand straight on her own, the arms that had caught her wrapped themselves around her and the voice laughed.

"Not a problem. I don't mind being the prince that comes to save you."

"Jackson?" Cristina asked with a giggle.

"I believe the storm has made us all a little bizarre," he said as he kissed her and finally let her go so she could stand straight. Her eyes had finally adjusted to the dark and she could see Jackson's smiling face. "I thought you were off today?"

Cristina nodded. "I was supposed to be, but by the time my shift ended the storm had already started to become a little more violent then my driving could handle so I decided I'd stay here. Plus, my patient had some complications so we needed to go in for surgery and now we're not sure how we're getting him off of the OR floor."

Jackson nodded. "Well I was just heading up to tell Richard that there are people who need answers about what is going to happen with the power outage. The day Derek decides he's not working and there is a power outage."

Cristina laughed. "Well, I'm sure he wouldn't know what to do anyway. Richard's probably a better candidate for answers since I don't believe Derek has lived this in his time at Seattle Grace and he doesn't always have his head screwed on right anyway. I can't imagine what it would be like in a storm like this."

Jackson gave her a quick kiss and laughed before continuing his way up the stairs. "We'll talk later," he called out before he disappeared into the darkness.

XOXOXXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

When the lights had gone off in Mark's office, both Carolyn and Lexie had been caught off guard. They both jumped slightly, and unlike the rest of the hospital, emergency lights weren't set up in the offices.

"Let's get out of here," Lexie suggested. Carolyn nodded and the two of them went off in search of some familiar faces that could explain to them how things would go from there.

When they reached the cafeteria, several people had assembled and were sitting in various tables around the spacious room. A lot of nurses, doctors, surgeons and other staff were trying their best to comfort the families of patients that even though the power was out, their loved ones were still safe and that the power outage would cause them no harm. They found Mark and Amy in a corner discussing emergency case scenarios incase the power outage lasted more than seventy two hours.

"The files containing that information are in Derek's office," Mark explained.

"Has anyone tried contacting Derek?" Lexie asked.

Mark and Amy looked up at the newcomers and shrugged. "Somebody must have thought of contacting him by now."

They looked around them and noticed that there were more and more people gathering.

"Let's go see if we can find Richard, he might know something more than we do."

They all nodded and headed towards the lobby, thinking they might find someone who would have an idea where to find him, or if they were lucky, he might be there himself. But when they approached the lobby, they noticed the crowd that was gathered in front of the elevator. The elevator…

"Oh god, I bet you someone is trapped," Amy mumbled as they noticed the security that was gathered around the door. Other doctors were mumbling to each other, and things seemed to be chaotic.

"I wonder how they are planning on getting them out," Lexie said as they approached one of the security personnel.

"What's going on?" Mark asked the one who didn't seem to be as busy as the others.

"We have reason to believe that the elevator contains people and we are trying to find a way to get a response from them to confirm that there is in fact a necessity of accessing the car."

They didn't know. But they were about to find out soon.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

As soon as Catherine had started heading down the hall, the power had shut off. She continued on her way towards her patient's room without thinking anything of it. Her patient was a little shook up by the sudden darkness in her room, and Catherine assured her that everything would be fine.

After making sure that she and two others of her patients were okay, she made her way back to the lobby where she had then noticed the crowd gathering. She spotted Mark, Amy, Lexie and Carolyn amongst them and decided to inquire on what was going on.

"Apparently, the security here have 'reason to believe' that there are people trapped in there, but they don't know for sure."

Then the realization hit her. The elevator wouldn't have had enough time to make it to the fourth floor between the time she had left to check on her patient and the time the power went out.

All color streamed from her face when she realized who was trapped in there.

"Oh god!" she gasped as she fell into a chair. "Stephanie's in there! She was going home with Finn and they had just gotten into the elevator before the power went out."

"You need to go tell the security!" Lexie exclaimed.

"Was anyone else with them?" Amy asked.

Catherine looked up at them, knowing this wasn't good at all. "Addie… Addie and Meredith –"

"Meredith!" Mark exclaimed as soon as Catherine had pronounced her name. "This is really not good."

The five of them rushed to the security guards. "Sir, there are at least four people in that elevator," Mark explained. "One of them is a seven year old little girl and another is pregnant. They need to get out of there as soon as possible."

The security guard nodded as he asked Mark a few questions. "Is there any way we can know for sure?"

Mark thought about it, but Amy was faster. She pulled out her cell and dialed Meredith's number as fast as she could.

"Amy!" Meredith exclaimed on the other line. "We're trapped in the elevator!"

"We know," she answered. "Who else is in there?"

"Addison, Stephanie and Finn."

Amy repeated the information to the security guy. "Okay, stay calm. They're doing everything they can."

Meredith nodded even though she knew that Amy couldn't see anything. "Okay… We'll try."

They hung up due to the terrible reception and waited patiently for the security to pass on the information to the others as they tried to figure out how to fix this.

With all the chaos surrounding them, no one, not even Carolyn, had thought of informing Derek of what was going on.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Stephie, everything's going to be okay," Meredith tried to comfort the little girl, although she was also trying to comfort herself. The phone call from Amy had reassured her slightly, but they were all still a little shook up. Finn and Addie were both pacing, and mumbling incomprehensible things that Meredith didn't know if she wanted to hear.

"How are you feeling Meredith?" Addie suddenly asked, forgetting that this could be the last straw for Meredith's stress.

"Addie, I'm feeling –" she suddenly stopped as she felt a sudden pain in her abdomen.

"Meredith?"

She took a deep breath as she slid down the wall. She was trembling all of a sudden and her vision was blurring slightly.

"Meredith!" Addie exclaimed as she knelt down beside her. "Can you hear me?"

Meredith rocked back and forth, but nodded anyway, assuring Addie she could still hear her, even if she couldn't see her very clearly.

She then felt a wet fluid seeping down between her legs, and she knew what was happening. Her water had just broken…

"Addie…" she mumbled as she grabbed her hand, and Addie noticed right away the liquid seeping through her scrub pants.

"No no no… this isn't happening now," Addison said as she grabbed her pager. "Finn, I need you to page Derek. I'll walk you through –"

Meredith shook her head. "His pager is in his office. It stayed there last night… I saw it… it there last night."

Addison sighed and started to panic as Meredith started to fall over to her side. Stephanie had moved out of the way as soon as she had noticed Meredith falling over.

"Umm…" Addie said as she searched her pockets. She felt her phone in her pocket. "My phone!" she exclaimed as she pulled it out. "Call Derek. He's speed dial number seven."

Finn took the phone from Addison, still not understanding what was going on. But when he took in Meredith's state and realized that Derek was Dr Shepherd, the famous Neurosurgeon, he jumped to conclusions.

"Oh god, is she okay? You said Derek… Dr Shepherd… is it bad? He's a Neurosurgeon, it has to be bad."

Addie looked up at him with an expression that was filled with surprise. _He seriously couldn't figure this one out?_

"No…" she shook her head quickly. "There's nothing wrong with her brain…"

"Then what's wrong?"

Addie sighed. "What's wrong is that she is going into labor a month and a half early, in the middle of a power outage, Derek isn't at the hospital and we are stuck in an elevator! That's what's wrong! Now call him!"

Finn was speechless. How had he not figured it out? His eyes suddenly glanced over Meredith's left hand, where two rings were placed on her wedding finger. And now that he really looked at her, she did look slightly pregnant…

He pressed the number seven on the phone, and when Derek's name popped up on the screen, he pressed the phone up to his ear.

"Everything is going to be okay Meredith…" Addison mumbled. But when she thought about it, it wasn't Meredith she was trying to convince. It was herself.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

_He felt his breath catch in his throat when Addie's name came onto the screen. He knew it was Meredith even before he answered. _

"Addison?" he said, worry clear in his voice.

There was a short silence before the person on the other end of the line cleared their throat. "Umm no… Derek?"

Derek was confused. What was some man doing calling from Addie's phone?

"Yes, and who is this?"

Another short silence. "It's… it's Finn… Dandridge."

Derek didn't know whether he was asleep or not. Why the hell was Finn, Meredith's ex vet boyfriend calling him from Addie's phone? Things didn't add up.

"Umm, I'm confused."

"Derek I know, it doesn't make sense… weird things like this just seem to keep happening and… "

Derek let out a frustrated breath. There had to be a reason Finn Dandridge was calling him. "You can explain later. Right now, I'd like to understand why you're calling me from Addie's phone."

There was a short silence and Derek could hear voices in the background. It sounded like Addie's… "I don't know how to… it's hard to explain… The power just went off in the hospital… and we were in the elevator when it went out… and things were fine… but Meredith… she's… she's…"

Derek was waiting for the worse. He didn't know what to expect. He just held his breath.

"She's in labor."

Derek's jaw dropped as he hung up his phone and rushed to stand up and grab his jacket.

"You can't go out there in this storm!" Saul called out.

He shook his head. "I have no choice. Meredith is in labor."

Dylan stood up. "I'm coming with you. There's no way I'm letting you drive. You look like crap."

"She's… she's stuck in an elevator… when the power went out she was in… and now she's in labor."

Dylan rested his hand reassuringly on his shoulder before they rushed into the rain and the wind. It would be quite the drive, but it was an emergency. His wife was in labor.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The crowd had gotten bigger in front of the elevator. Everyone who had noticed the crowd had approached to find out what was going on. Those who hadn't seen it for themselves had heard through the hospital gossip that people were stuck in the elevator and some had even heard who those people were.

"I just heard there were people stuck in the elevator!" Cristina exclaimed as she approached Mark, Lexie, Carolyn, Amy and Catherine. "Anybody have any idea who it is?"

They all stared at her incredulously.

"What?" she asked.

"Addison, Meredith, Ste-"

Cristina cut them off in horror. "Meredith?" she nearly yelled. "Do they realize what kind of delicate situation she is in? If something were to happen…"

"Cristina, they know. We've already told them. But they haven't figured out what they are doing yet. You'd think they would have thought of this in advance…"

Richard and Jackson suddenly appeared, nearly running towards them.

"We just heard Meredith is in the elevator," Richard said out of breath. "How is she?"

"We talked to them just a little while ago. They all seemed to be doing okay, according to Meredith. The reception wasn't great though, so we let them go. But they were fine…"

Richard nodded. "That's good to know."

They stayed silent for several seconds when suddenly a thought occurred to Lexie.

"Has anyone informed Derek?"

They all just looked back and forth between each other as they realized that no one thought of letting Derek know that his pregnant wife was trapped in an elevator.

"No one has informed Derek?" Jackson nearly yelled.

"I… I guess… with everything going on… we just forgot…" Amy mumbled.

"Someone call Derek!" Cristina exclaimed.

"No need."

They turned around and were faced with a very pained, out of breath Derek Shepherd. His eyes were filled with fright and seemed to be slightly misty. His hair was everywhere, as if he had spent a lot of time passing his fingers through it.

"Derek!" Mark said. "We… we didn't think… we were too preoccupied… we didn't think of telling you that Meredith was… well was trapped in the elevator…"

"Who's in charge of everything here?" he asked, his voice shaky.

They all pointed to the guy who they had talked to earlier. "Derek, we've already informed him that one of the occupants of the elevator is in a difficult pregnancy and they're doing everything they can but –"

Derek shook his head. "They'll find a way to get her out of there or else I'll-"

"Derek," Carolyn said as she rested her hands on Derek's shaking shoulders. "She'll be fine. Addie's in there with her…"

Derek shook his head. "You guys don't get it… she's… she's… the babies… she's having the babies…"

They all went quiet.

"She's in labor?" Cristina finally exclaimed.

Derek nodded as they made their way over to the security. They were all awe struck at the newly discovered information. This should be a joyful time, not the scariest moment of their lives.

"Chief Shepherd," the head of security said as he recognized Derek. "We're doing all we can, but it may be a little while before we can get anyone out."

Derek shook his head. "No, it won't be. My wife is in there and she's in labor. Now, if you're planning on leaving a woman in labor in an elevator, I suggest you prepare yourself for the heat you'll get from any woman in this hospital who has given birth, because they know how hard and painful it can be. But in an elevator? There is no way this can happen! There must be something you guys can –"

"Derek," Amy rested her hand on his shoulder. She noticed the buildup of tears in Derek's eyes. This was tough on him, but there was nothing they could do. "They're doing the best they can. Getting upset isn't going –"

"Upset?" Derek asked them. "You think I'm upset? My wife, the love of my life, the mother of my first children could be giving birth at this very moment and I can't be beside her to help her through it, to hold her hand, to reassure her that everything is going to be okay. I'm not there for the most amazing moment in our lives. Upset? I'm far past upset. I… I can't describe it."

He was trembling now. This wasn't happening. It was all a nightmare and he would wake up any moment now. This… this was just… it was… it couldn't really be happening. Could it? How many bad things did Meredith have to go through? This couldn't be… this couldn't really be happening.

"Oh Derek," Carolyn said as she pulled him into her arms. "Things are going to be okay. I've been through many pregnancies, my own and your sisters. It takes several long hours to get to the point that the babies are actually born. You need to think about that. There's very little chance she is delivering right now. You'll be with her before she gives birth."

"I need to be with her now. Could you imagine if dad hadn't been there when you gave birth to Kath? Your first child and he couldn't be by your side? Or Amy, if Julian hadn't of been there when Kayla was born? Could you imagine how scared you would have been?"

Both women didn't know how to respond to that, because they knew Derek was right.

"Dr Shepherd?" Derek spun around and noticed the security guard's look. There was a flicker of hope in the corner of his eye. "We've managed to open the elevator doors on the third floor and they are about to open the emergency hatch on the car. We won't be able to get your wife out, but you'll be able to get in."

Derek didn't stay around long enough to thank him or to see how the others reacted. He bolted for the stairs, knowing that he'd be by Meredith's side in no time.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After everyone in the lobby had heard that the woman in the elevator was in labor, their curiosity grew. But when they noticed the group of people who were waiting anxiously to hear how things were going, they decided they owed them the respect of privacy and, led by a few of the nurses, everyone was redirected to the cafeteria.

At this point, a few more people had gathered. Along with Mark, Lexie, Amy, Carolyn, Catherine, Cristina, Jackson and Richard, Miranda and Teddy had heard what was going on and had rushed down right away to get an update, which nobody truly had. Dylan had also found his way in after having found a parking spot. He had just dropped Derek off at the door, knowing that he needed to get in as quickly as he could. Mark and Carolyn gave him quick hugs before explaining what they knew to him and the two others.

"So how does Derek know?" Miranda asked, as soon as Amy explained what they knew.

"I'm guessing Addie or whoever that Finn guy is called him or something as soon as she went into labor," she answered with a shrug.

"Wait, did you say Finn?" Cristina asked.

Amy nodded. "He was here to pick up Stephanie, if I'm not right?" She looked at Catherine as if looking for her to explain.

"We just started dating and he volunteered to get Stephanie since I didn't want her here during this storm."

Cristina wasn't giving up this easily. She didn't know of very many Finn's, and it wasn't much of a popular name... "He doesn't happen to be –"

"A vet?" Catherine asked with a laugh. Cristina's eyes popped out of their sockets.

Mark couldn't help but laugh. "McVet is in the elevator with Meredith and McDreamy while McBabies are being born?"

"Mark, the babies aren't going to be born in the elevator," Carolyn said as she shook her head.

"I wonder how Derek and that jealous ass of his will react…" Miranda mumbled.

"Who's Finn?" Teddy then asked, for not only herself but also for the others who had trouble following.

Cristina decided to answer her question. "Finn and Meredith dated while Derek and Addison were still married. But it ended when Meredith had to pick between Derek and Finn after Meredith and Derek –"

"Stop!" Richard demanded. "I know where this is going. The prom idea was terrible, I know that. We don't need to relive the bad decisions that were made in the past. Especially not here and now."

Cristina and Mark hid their smirks, but nodded, knowing they'd have plenty of time for these stories once they knew that everything was okay with their friend. Right now, they were waiting for news.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"Addison!" Meredith screeched while squeezing Addie's hand with all her might as another painful contraction took over her body. She was freaking out. This was not how this was supposed to happen. She had expected at least a little more time, and a hospital bed. And more than anything, she had pictured Derek at her side.

"Is there anything I can do?" Finn asked, slightly feeling awkward in this unlikely situation. What had been the chances that he started dating one of Meredith's good friend's, ended up stuck in an elevator with her and have her go into labor? Very unlikely, yet apparently still possible.

"Is Meredith having her babies?" Stephanie asked, slightly frightened by everything.

"Babies?" Finn asked, looking from Stephanie to Addison.

"She's having twins," Addison answered, panicking. She didn't usually panic in tough situations, but this was far past tough. This was… there was no words to describe the situation they were in.

Meredith's grip was tight around Addie's hand. She nearly felt her circulation cutting out. But suddenly, it loosened unexpectedly, and Addie nearly shrieked when she looked over at Meredith.

"Meredith!" she gasped as Meredith crumpled to the ground. She had a feeling since the beginning of her pregnancy that she wouldn't be able to handle labor, but she had always imagined being able to get Derek's consent and she would bring her to an OR for an emergency C-section. But there was no way she could start a C-section now. They were stuck in a freaking elevator! "Don't do this to me Meredith!" she cried out. Tears started to build in the corners of her eyes. She had tried so hard during the past few months to make sure Meredith stayed strong so that the situation wouldn't get to this point. She had everything ready for even the most difficult situation. Medically, that it. She had no way of imagining that something like this would happen.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god…" Finn mumbled. "What's going on?"

Addie trembled. "She's unconscious," she said as she let a tear slip out. "She's unconscious and if she doesn't wake up…" Addie didn't want to even think about it.

Finn sat down beside Addison and Stephanie sat between them. They stayed quiet.

Stephanie suddenly grabbed Meredith's limp hand and held it in her tiny one. "Wake up Meredith," she said as she too let a tear slip down her cheek.

"She'll wake up Addison," Finn said as Stephanie crawled into his arms. "Just have a little hope."

Addie nodded as she watched the nearly imperceptible rise and fall of Meredith's chest. She was still breathing. That was a good sign. _Just unconscious_, she reminded herself.

Addie thought about how she had been the one who had done everything she could to keep Meredith and everyone that was surrounding her to stay positive. And they had. But lately, even Addison had her moments of weakness where she let the fear get the best of her. Right now was one of those moments.

She had never been a very religious person, but in that moment, she couldn't help but pray that something would happen, that if there was a God out there, that he would come to their rescue and make something good of this. Because at the moment, Addie didn't feel anything but pain and loss. No, not loss. Nothing was lost. Not yet.

It was as if her quick prayer had been heard. All three of them jumped slightly when they heard a loud banging noise above their heads. They looked up just in time to see the emergency door open up slowly, then it was flung open wide to reveal Derek. He didn't hesitate for a moment before he jumped in.

"Derek!" Addie exclaimed as she finally let the tears flow. But Derek was too preoccupied with the fragile body lying on the ground in front of him.

"No no no…" he murmured as he took Meredith's hand and let out a silent sob. "You can't… don't do this to me!"

Addie reached over and took his hand. "Derek, she's only unconscious… But if… if she doesn't wake up soon… or if we don't… if they don't get us out of here… I… I don't know what will happen Derek…"

Derek looked to Addie and brought her in for a tight hug and they both let a few more tears go.

"She'll be fine…" Derek mumbled. "She always pulls through."

**Cliffhanger ! Sorry, but it was just too perfect to not end it there. I know, I know, the whole giving birth in an elevator thing has been used many times, but there are a few twists in this one. I was inspired by one of my fav shows from when I was younger and used to watch 7th Heaven every Sunday night. Yeah, the whole elevator thing... Anyway, doens't matter right now, because things will get juicy and be shook up even more. I hope you like !**


	52. A Little Bit of Light

It had been nearly twenty minutes since Addison had felt all Meredith's strength give way through the touch of their hands. But it had felt like an eternity. Derek had been with them for only ten of those dreadfully long minutes, and they felt even longer every time Addison snuck a glance at Derek's facial features, the pain etched on his face at the thought of… no, they weren't thinking like that. But as the minutes slowly ticked by, they waited impatiently for some sign from Meredith. Maybe a twitch or a flinch. Eyelids fluttering or a heavy sigh. A mumble, or wrinkling of the nose. Anything that would give them hope that she wouldn't be out for very much longer.

A word hadn't been spoken from any of them since Derek and Addie had exchanged a quick, reassuring hug and Derek had pronounced the words that they all prayed and hoped were true. _She'll be fine… She always pulls through._ They tried desperately to keep that in mind, but it was getting harder and harder for them to keep the negative from drowning out all the positive thoughts that waltzed through their minds.

Stephanie was cradled in Finn's arms, Finn leaning against the right side of the car. Derek and Addie were more against the back wall, at Meredith's head. Meredith was laying her head more towards the left, but her feet were nearing the door. Addie's hand rested on Derek's lap, as if there for support, even though at this point there was no use. Derek was tightly gripping Meredith's limp hand, as he held onto the smallest flicker of hope that everything would be okay.

"What happens from here?" Derek asked quietly, his voice coming out with difficulty. He needed to know what would happen if Meredith didn't wake up. He needed to know the chances of survival for both her and the babies.

Addie looked up to him. "I… Derek… I…"

Derek sighed. "As Meredith's doctor Addie," he pleaded. "I need you… you need to tell me… what happens… what happens if…"

Addison took a deep breath as she pulled up the courage to become Dr Montgomery for a moment. "Derek, I'll be honest…" she started. "Whenever this happens in a regular case, the mother is rushed to an OR for an emergency C-section. But in our situation…"

Derek shook his head. "How long do we have?" he asked as a small whimper escaped his lips.

Addie felt herself get more and more discouraged. "Labor usually lasts about sixteen hours, but with a case like Meredith's… anything could happen. If her labor was to last sixteen hours, I'd say she'd have about eight to ten hours since her contractions started, to wake up. Otherwise… it'll be too much…"

Derek nodded painfully as he tried his best to accept this. It was hard, but they didn't know whether or not they would have that problem yet. She could wake up soon… she could…

"How long… how long does someone usually stay unconscious?" Finn asked quietly.

Addie sighed. "Not very long…"

"Isn't that a good thing?" he asked, but by the looks on Addison and Derek's faces, there was something more.

"It would be, again, if Meredith were a regular case… she's gone unconscious before, during her pregnancy… and… and she was out… for five days…" Derek wept into his hands as Addison placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Derek, we'll figure something out. They'll get us out of here soon." _Hopefully_

"What if they don't? What if we're in here for hours? Days?"

"Then we'll come up with something," Addie said, determined she wasn't loosing anyone today.

Derek thought about it for a second, then looked up at Addie with a hopeful look in his eye. "Karev and O'Malley. They… they performed surgery in an elevator… it had broken down and… and they did operate…"

Addie looked at him incredulously. "Are you thinking about doing a C-section in here? Are you absolutely crazy? What about once the babies are out? Derek, I don't want to be harsh, but they are going to be in critical condition and will have to be looked after and taken care of the second they leave Meredith's womb. We can't… unless you want to lose them…"

Derek shook his head. "We can't… we can't lose them… Meredith… she's gone through too much just too… we can't lose them…"

"Can't lose them…"

The two of them spun around immediately at the sound of Meredith's shaky, powerless voice. Her eyes were parting slowly and Derek couldn't help but cry some more. This time though, they were tears of joy and relief.

"Meredith…" he mumbled as he knelt down beside her and helped her to sit up straight as she fumbled to move. She was still light headed and slightly fuzzy and in pain. But she managed to sit up propped in the corner and Derek made sure she was as comfortable as she could be. "How do you feel?"

Meredith sighed. "I… I don't know… overwhelmed… scared… slightly in pain… tired… but relieved."

"Relieved?" Derek asked.

She let a small smile escape the corner of her lips. "Yeah, relieved… because… well when I went into labor… you … you weren't here…"

"I'm here now Meredith," he said as he kissed her forehead. "And I'm not leaving."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

None of them wanted to call. They knew they could, they knew that they could get an update at the touch of a button, but none of them knew whether calling was a good idea right now. Addie or Derek would call if they needed something. And they didn't want to be burdens. So they waited to hear what was going on.

"I hope everything is okay…" Lexie mumbled as Mark pulled her close. He couldn't handle the broken look on Lexie's face, the pained expression as if she felt all of the pain Meredith was going through in her core. He held her tight as to assure her that everything would be okay, and that he would never let anything happen to her.

"We all hope everything is okay," Miranda mumbled. She too was frightened immensely by all of this. They had all expected an antagonizing labor for Meredith, but nothing near what she was going through right now. Stuck in an elevator… who would have thought.

The security guard who had been with them throughout the entire situation approached them slowly, not wanting to interrupt, but wanting to share the information he had gathered.

"We have a security guard posted at the doors of the elevator on the third floor so that there are no gossip mongrels wanting to get a look at the action," he said, and everyone thanked him as he continued. "They've managed to get Dr Shepherd in, but they want to let as little people as possible in the car. If they are in need of something, we will deliver it to them through the emergency hatch."

"Thank you," Mark said, voicing everyone's gratitude.

Suddenly Mark's cell phone started ringing and he rushed to pull it out of his scrubs, thinking maybe it was Derek. But when Sam's name appeared on the screen, he let out a sigh.

"Hello," he answered.

"Hey… Mark, you don't sound so good. Is everything okay?"

Mark sighed. "No, everything really isn't okay."

Sam knew right away that this wasn't to be taken lightly. "I tried calling Addison, but she didn't answer… Mark, what's going on?"

"Addison, Meredith, Stephanie and a guy named Finn are trapped in an elevator that stopped functioning when the power went out. Everything was going fine, but Derek showed up informing us that he had gotten a phone call from Finn informing him that Meredith is in labor. Derek is now with them, but we don't have any other information at the moment."

Sam couldn't believe all of this. "So you guys don't know if Meredith is okay?"

"No," Mark mumbled.

"Well, if you hear anything else, let me know… I wish there was some way I could help, but I'm stuck here… keep me posted."

Mark nodded. "I will." With that, he hung up.

"Who was it?" Cristina asked as soon as Mark removed the phone from his ear.

"It was Sam… he didn't know anything yet."

They all nodded silently.

"Why can't the power just come back on?" Amy sighed in frustration. "How do these things always end up happening to Meredith?"

Everyone shrugged. They all wished they knew. They all wished they could have an answer. But most of all, they wished that Meredith would be okay.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Carolyn has left soon after Sam's phone call to go to the washroom. She needed to escape, breath, think about things rationally. What had been the chances? What had been the chances that Meredith end up stuck in an elevator and that she go in labor? What were the chances that any pregnant woman go into labor stuck in an elevator? Not very likely.

She sighed as she thought about all the things Meredith had been through. First, the incident with Derek and Jackson. She knew that Derek had insecurities when it came to that type of situation. He would always be insecure with that after what happened with Addie and Mark. That had turned out to be a learning experience for him. He truly realized that Meredith would never do anything like that. But for Meredith, it had been the beginning of a long and agonizing pregnancy.

Then there had been Rose and all of her stunts. Carolyn had had the chance to witness with her own eyes what Rose had been up to. She had caused Meredith more trouble than Meredith needed. And it didn't help any with her condition. Luckily that had come to an end when Derek was finally able to fire her.

Drake Hansen… he had been one of the biggest issues. No, he had been the biggest issue. Carolyn couldn't imagine anyone as heartless as he had been, to do something like that to a pregnant woman. It was indescribable, the rage she felt when she thought of the man she didn't even know. And Carolyn didn't get mad very easily. But just the thought of anyone hurting her children angered her with a passion.

She was glad, however, that Meredith had come to her, in the circumstances. She didn't necessarily agree with not having told Derek, but she understood where Meredith had been coming from. She needed to feel like she wasn't being brought down to be able to recover. Carolyn couldn't explain the sensation she felt at the thought of Meredith having run to her. They had only spent a small quantity of time together, but in that time they had built a connection that was stronger than an in-law relationship. They had built a mother daughter bond and the woman who Derek had told her 'didn't do families' fit more than perfectly into her heart.

The surgery had been next. Although it had not been all bad in the end. More stressful on Derek than on Meredith. The time had been lighter, especially finding out she was having twins. Psychologically, it hadn't caused any harm on her, she had been okay with it and it had been her decision to go through with it right away, she was able to make a choice about something in what seemed like forever when it came to her pregnancy, so it had been easier on her.

And then there was her near coma, as they called it. Again, it hadn't affected her all that much psychologically. A long nap, as she put it. But just like the surgery, it had had an effect on her physical state, it had taken its toll on her body. It had weakened her, and had taken away some of the strength she had gathered for the rest of her pregnancy. But still, she didn't let it break her down.

Now she was stuck in an elevator, in god knows what condition, and there was nothing they could truly do about it at that very moment. Wait and be patient. She had people there for support, inside and outside of the elevator. Addie and Derek were by her side, and Carolyn couldn't think of anybody better to have at her side. Obviously, Derek needed to be there for her, but when she thought of Addison, she knew she was Meredith's best option. Not just because she was her doctor either. No. But because Addie had seen her through it all, and she had been the person Meredith confided in. She was passionate and had a heart of gold, and Carolyn knew that Addie had been the person who had kept everyone positive throughout Meredith's pregnancy. And she needed a little positivity right now, even if the odds were against it. Positivity was…

Her thoughts were cut off by the sound of her cell phone. It echoed off of the walls in the large bathroom. Carolyn jumped slightly at the sound of it, but frantically tried to find it in her purse. She didn't even glance at the screen before answering.

"Hello?" she said, her voice full of anxiousness as she waited and hoped it was an update on Meredith.

"Mom," Derek's pained voice said over the line.

"Oh Derek," Carolyn answered. "How is she?"

Derek sighed. "She was out for about twenty minutes and we had the worst fear of our lives, but she's awake now and things are looking a little more positive."

_Positivity._ "That's good. How is she feeling?"

"Overwhelmed mostly… here, I'll let you talk to her."

Carolyn smiled. She had wanted to ask if she could talk to her, but decided against it knowing Meredith was in a tough situation right now.

"Mom," her voice came over the line.

"Oh Meredith hunny," she answered and relief washed over her at the sound of Meredith's strong voice. She was still strong. "How are you feeling?"

Meredith giggled slightly, which not only surprised Carolyn, but brought a warming sensation to her heart. "Definitely not the way I thought it would feel. I'm… well it's overwhelming, and I'm petrified, but that's normal. I'm also worried about what happens if we can't get out of here… the babies… they need to be cared for as soon as they're born, and I know that… but if I have them in here…"

Carolyn cut her off. "I am going to tell you the same thing I've been telling Mark all afternoon. You are not having those babies in the elevator. Understand?" she asked with a smirk.

Meredith made a soft giggling noise. "I'll try my best."

Carolyn thought about how uncomfortable she must be, in the elevator without any physical comfort. "Is there anything I can get you?"

Meredith thought about it, then answered. "Some pillows and a blanket would be nice. At least it could feel more like a bed that way," she finished with a laugh.

Carolyn laughed slightly too. "Okay, I'll be there as fast as I can."

"Thank you."

With that she hung up, a smile playing on her lips and hope in her heart that everything would be okay.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Addie and Derek were in pure amazement. They were in an unbelievable amount of stress and everything was overtaking the little amount of pleasure this moment should be providing them. Meredith was about to have her babies. The little ones they had been waiting for for so long now were finally going to make an appearance in the world and all the two of them could think about was all the things that could go wrong. Yet Meredith, the one living all the stress of the situation on her shoulders could make light of it. She had a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eyes.

"It seems like the two of you have seen a ghost," Meredith said as she hung up the phone. They had been listening to her side of the conversation the entire time and heard the few little giggles she had let out. And they had seen the beautiful smiles that had taken over her features. She was… indescribable.

"It's just…" Derek tried to explain, but had difficulty finding the words he needed to describe what he was thinking. "You're… we're in an elevator… and… and things… and you're… laughing?"

Meredith smiled. "I'm staying positive, because if we're all negative, than none of us will survive this."

"Meredith is right," Addie said as she got up. "We need to keep a positive frame of mind. Smile a little more. Laugh if we can," she said with a smile, one that was less forced than she had expected. "Things will be okay. They always end up okay."

"Exactly," Meredith said. They sat in comfortable silence until there was somewhat of a knocking noise on top of them. The hatch opened and Carolyn peered her head through the crack.

"I came as fast as I could," she said, a little out of breath. She had gone straight from the bathroom to the stairs, since they were closer to the bathroom than they were to the lobby, where everyone else was waiting for an update. She'd give it to them after. After making her way to the third floor, she found a nurse who led her to a supply closet and gratefully gave her a couple of pillows and a large blanket. She thanked her and ran off to the elevator, where she explained to the guard that she was the mother of the woman in labor and that she had been asked to come. He believed her and let her through, explaining to her how to open the hatch.

Meredith smiled. "Thank you," she said as Carolyn slipped the pillows and the blanket through the hatch.

Addison laughed. "It's beginning to actually look like a hospital room."

They set the pillows up in the most comfortable way they could in the elevator and Meredith managed to make herself comfortable as she wrapped herself in the blanket. Derek, feeling a little more lighthearted than before, took a seat beside her and Meredith fell into his embrace, which brought a smile to Addison and Carolyn's faces. Stephanie and Finn stayed quietly in their corner for the most part.

"I would invite you to come in," Meredith said with a smile. "But I don't think I want you to attempt the jump."

Derek shook his head. "As much as I'd love to have you here, like Meredith said, the jump is too much. Trust me."

Carolyn shook her head with a smile. "I need to go let the others know you're all right. Besides, I'll be by your side when they get you out of here and you've got your own room and everything."

Meredith nodded. "Thank you, again."

"You need to stop with the thank you's. It's my duty as you're mother and as grandmother to watch out for my little ones. You just stay strong."

Meredith smiled. "Just one question before you leave. Who exactly are the 'others'?"

Carolyn laughed. "You've got an entire support team at in the lobby for you. Mark, Lexie, Cristina, Jackson, Richard, Miranda, Amy, Catherine and Teddy. Oh, and Dylan is with them. And you've got Sam who's also there for you from a distance."

"You've heard from Sam?" Addison asked, confused.

"He called Mark when he couldn't get a hold of you."

Addie nodded and Meredith smiled. "Tell them to stay positive and that I'm doing just fine. And a good fine, not my usual fine."

Derek smiled as he kissed the top of her head.

"We'll all be just fine."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The group has dispersed slightly. Not very much, but just enough for it to be noticeable. Jackson and Dylan had volunteered to go grab some coffees for everyone and had been gone for a few minutes. A nurse had come by asking for Richard, the situation of the power outage and the lack of mobilization of patients still needing someone who had been prepared for this type of situation to take control. They had promised to keep him updated as he left without wanting to. He had wanted to stay with everyone else so he'd be sure to get an update on Meredith as soon as someone heard something.

Also, still missing from the group was Carolyn, who had been gone for over half an hour now. With Meredith on everyone's mind, they had all sort of forgotten about Mrs. Shepherd.

"Mom!" Amy exclaimed as she realized what everyone else lacked to notice. "Mom's been gone for too long…" she said more to Lexie and Mark. "She was going to the washroom. She should be back by now…"

"Do you think something might have happened to her?" Catherine enquired, as she had been sitting right next to Amy.

"Let's hope not," Mark mumbled. "We've already got enough to worry about."

"I'm going to see if she's still in the washroom," Amy declared as she stood up.

"I'm coming with you," Lexie said as she followed. She hadn't been feeling good since hearing about Meredith being stuck in the elevator. She blamed it on the stress of everything, and suddenly felt nauseous as she stood up.

"Are you okay?" Amy asked as she noticed the greenish expression on Lexie's face as they had almost reached the bathroom. Lexie was about to answer, but instead made a mad dash for the bathroom and made it to a stall just in time to empty the contents of her stomach.

She flushed the toilet and turned to come face to face with a worried looking Amy.

"It's nothing," she said. "I get sick when I'm overly worried. I was sick for the first few days after Meredith disappeared and when she wouldn't wake up… She seems to be my main cause of worry."

Amy nodded. "She seems to be everyone's main cause of worry."

Lexie sighed as she leaned against the counter. "We didn't get the chance to be sisters growing up like you were with Kathleen, Nancy and Natalie, but we've grown close in the last few years and I don't want anything to happen to her," Lexie admitted. "I hate to see her like this. It drives me insane. She's been through so much, and I feel guilty having had a good and easy life when she had lived through the toughest life any kid could have gone through, even though we're sisters. How could things like that be possible? How could people do things like that? I mean, I loved my father and I always thought of him as the best dad anyone could have, but then I look at Meredith, who's father had abandoned her when she was just a little girl, and I can't see how my father was that man. Life… life just doesn't make sense."

Amy brought her in for a quick hug. "Lexie, Meredith may go through a lot of crap on a day to day basis, but she's happy. I don't know how she does it, but she's happy and even though she had to suffer through it all…"

"She's happy," Lexie finished for her. "She's suffered through a lot of crap, but this crap is worth it because she's happy."

Amy nodded with a smile. Then, she suddenly remembered why they had come to the washroom in the first place. "Mom's not here," she mumbled as she pushed herself off the counter and Lexie followed her out.

"Maybe she heard something," Lexie suggested with a twinkle in her eye.

As soon as they had left the washroom, they noticed the elder woman coming down the hall in the opposite direction. They immediately noticed the smile on her face and Lexie and Amy exchanged a glance. They knew where Carolyn had been.

"Mom!" Amy exclaimed as the two of them rushed to catch up with her. "How is she? Is everything going alright? Has Derek had a panic attack yet? Oh my goodness, are the babies born?"

Carolyn chuckled as they continued to walk towards the lobby.

"She's fine," Carolyn answered as they walked into the lobby and when everyone noticed them enter, they rushed over to hear what she had to say. "Meredith wants me to assure you she is fine. She had been unconscious for over twenty minutes but Derek and Addison suffered more from that than she did and at the moment, it's her that we need to worry about. Derek and Addie will get over it. She's being positive and other than that one incident, according to Addie everything is running as smoothly as they could be going. The babies seem to be in no great rush, which is good right now, and we're hoping it'll stay that way."

Everyone let out breaths they didn't realize they were holding. They had finally been updated. And things were looking good. The update had been repeated to Jackson and Dylan who had arrived just moments after Carolyn with loads of coffee. Miranda had taken it on herself to go and update Richard as soon as she had had a chance to take in the good news.

"She's fine," she said, and gave him the details Carolyn had given them. The nurses who had overheard them then shared the information with other nurses and staff members, and even some of the visitors had had the chance to hear the update. A dark cloud that had been sweeping over Seattle Grace hospital had cleared up slightly, and when they glanced out the window in the cafeteria, they realized it wasn't just indoors that things were looking brighter. The storm was starting to pass and the dark clouds had started to look less menacing. The day was taking a turn for the good. And this brought smiles to everyone's faces.

**No authors note today other than enjoy and review please (:**


	53. Power and Strength

"How is she holding up?"

It had been an hour since Carolyn had been with them and things were going… well miraculously well. Meredith hadn't had another incident and her contractions were well controlled. Things seemed to be right on track. They were, however, still stuck in the frigging elevator, but by the sounds of it, they would be out in no time. Addison and Derek were feeling the stress of the day's events slide out of their systems and it was replaced by the joy the moment was bringing. The light in Meredith's eyes was enough to bring smiles to their faces.

"She's good," Finn answered into the receiver. It was Catherine. Nobody wanted to bother Meredith and Derek, and they figured Addie was probably pretty wrapped up in everything too, so they were all still hesitant when it came to calling to see how things were going. It was Catherine who had realized that Finn would be the perfect person to call.

"Any more incidents?" Catherine then asked worriedly.

"None. She's holding up quite well," he finished with a smile towards Meredith.

"Who is it?" Meredith asked.

Finn covered the phone. "It's Catherine."

Meredith's eyes twinkled. "Let me talk to her," she said with a giggle.

Finn couldn't argue. He passed her the phone and returned to the back of the elevator. He took a seat with Stephanie, but before he could say anything to her, Derek took a seat beside him.

"Never thought anything like this would happen, did you?"

Finn let out a laugh. "Never in my life did I expect to be stuck on an elevator for any amount of time, let alone with a woman in labor whom just happens to be someone I dated."

Derek laughed too, which caught Finn by surprise. He remembered Derek as the extremely jealous type, the hovering guy. But Derek just laughed. "Weird things happen when you get involved in Seattle Grace relationships."

Finn nodded. "I can see that now."

Stephanie crawled onto Derek's lap.

"Derek how do you know Finny?"

Derek couldn't help but chuckle. "I'll tell you the story someday, but not right now. Meredith is on the phone with your mommy. Why don't you go see if you can talk to her?"

Stephanie nodded quickly as she jumped off of his lap and rushed over to Meredith's side, next to Addison.

"Stephanie seems very close to you too," Finn said, looking at Derek. "Do you know what the first thing I thought of when I saw her?"

Derek smirked. "I have a feeling I do."

"It's incredible how much they look alike," he said as he glanced over to where the girls were sitting.

Derek nodded. "I didn't know what to expect when I first set my eyes on her. She was Meredith's patient and Catherine was mine. I had come by to update Stephanie's doctor, not knowing it was Meredith at the time, and I found the two of them sitting together. I hadn't known what to think."

Finn laughed. "It's weird, to think that all of you, these people I had gotten to know through Meredith are all friends of Catherine's."

"You won't have a hard time fitting in then," Derek answered.

"I think it'll be a little harder than you think. I mean, they were all for you and Meredith. They knew it would happen. I was just the other guy… I don't know if I'm ready for all of it again."

Derek shook his head. "You don't need to take it all on yet. Get used to being around Catherine, and then add a few at a time. Things are a lot different too then when you were last in the picture. We've all grown, matured if you'd like, and we've gotten over the past and moved on."

Finn nodded. "I can see that." He said this as he glanced over to the girls again, his eyes landing on Addie. Derek knew where this was going.

"We've become the friends we used to be. She moved away a little while after we divorced and has been back now for a little over half a year. Her, Mark and I are the best friends we used to be."

Finn gave him a confused look. "Mark… as in Dr Sloan? As in the man that… well… you know…"

Derek nodded. "Like I said, the past has been put behind us and we've moved on and grown up. Addie's engaged and has a little boy waiting at home for her. He's a month old and is the cutest little baby I think I've seen in my life," he said with a laugh. "He was adopted at birth. And Mark is also engaged, actually getting married at the end of December to Meredith's half sister. We've all grown up."

Finn took it all in slowly. "Things really have changed…" he mumbled. Then he looked at Derek. "I want to apologize for something."

Derek looked at him puzzled. "Okay…?"

"Before Meredith picked you, before she broke up with me, I told her that you were no good for her, that you'd hurt her again. And I now realize that I was wrong, that you're not the guy I thought you were."

Derek shook his head. "No, I can't let you do that, because you see, I was the guy you thought I was. I did hurt her again, and again, and I can't truly understand why, but she always came back. But I've learnt from my mistakes and I know now that there will be no more hurting her on my part. So, you can't apologize, because you were right."

He took it in slowly. They sat there in silence as they watched the girls and Meredith's smiling face.

"You're not as bad as a guy as I judged you to be Derek Shepherd," Finn finally said with a smile.

"You neither," Derek answered with a laugh. "Catherine needs someone like you. And so does Stephanie"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Catherine!" Meredith exclaimed as Finn had passed her the phone. She watched as he returned to his side of the elevator, and smiled when she noticed Derek follow him and take a seat beside him. They were chatting too quietly for her to hear them, especially with the phone pressed against her ear.

"Meredith!" Catherine exclaimed, and Meredith laughed as she heard the voices in the background chatter excitedly, asking each for their turn to talk to her. "How are you feeling? How are you doing? Is everything okay so far?"

Meredith giggled. "Things are going smoothly considering the situation and we've been told that they will have us out very soon now."

Catherine squealed excitedly. "That's wonderful news!" She paused momentarily and Meredith could hear the voices more loudly now. "I'm putting you on speaker phone."

Meredith prepared herself for the excited voices, but not well enough. As soon as she heard the beeping noise that warned her she had been put on speaker phone, an unintelligible mix of voices came over the line and she had to stop them instantly before she got a headache. "One person at a time!" she called into the phone. It quieted down instantly.

"How are the contractions?" Miranda's voice was the first one she could recognize. Other voices were whispering and chattering in the background, but at least now Meredith could single out individual voices.

"They're normal. About fifteen minutes apart. And not too painful, but definitely not a walk in the park."

Stephanie had joined her and Addie at this point and was sitting next to them, her smile revealing her missing tooth.

"Do you feel ready?" Lexie's nervous voice then made her way to her ears.

Meredith wasn't sure exactly how to answer. "Honestly," she started, "I'm not a hundred percent sure what ready feels like. I'm a nervous wreck, but Addie assures me it's normal. But I guess I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"How 'bout excited?" Cristina's voice than sounded through the small speaker on the phone. Meredith couldn't help but smile.

"Definitely."

"We're here for you Meredith!" Mark's voice was heard more in the background.

"Call us if you need anything," Amy then added.

"Hope everything goes well," Jackson voiced.

"Stay strong sweetie," Carolyn was the last to say before the phone beeped again and it went back to regular mode.

"How's the storm gotten?" Meredith asked, curious as to know whether thing had gotten worse or not.

"You know, it's kind of weird. It started to clear up as soon as Carolyn had given us an update. It's as if it was a sign or something."

"Huh," Meredith said with a nod. She then looked over to Stephanie's eager expression. "I think your daughter would like to talk to you."

Stephanie smiled when Meredith passed her the phone and she took it with a smile and sat a little further away, smiling as she answered her mom's questions.

"It seems things are going to go better than we expected," Addie said with a smile.

Meredith shook her head. "No, it seems like things are going better than you and Derek expected. I knew deep down that everything would be fine."

Addie laughed. "I'm sure," she said as she shook her head and Meredith smiled. "Just don't scare us ever again like that."

Meredith grabbed Addie's hand in hers. "I'll try my very hardest, but sometimes, things are out of my control."

She suddenly felt another contraction take over her body and as soon as Derek had noticed her tense up he rushed to her side and grabbed her other hand.

"I'm here Mer," he said as she felt oh so very thankful for his strong hands holding hers and his presence at her side. Things would have been close to impossible without him there.

She let the contraction pass and took deep breaths until her body had recovered. As soon as the pain had subsided, she brought Derek's hand to her stomach and he caressed it softly with the lightest touch he could manage.

"Soon," he whispered and Meredith could see the tears build up in the corners of his eyes. He had the McDreamy smile painted on his lips and Meredith couldn't resist pulling him down and kissing him. It was soft and quick, but it was just enough to remind Meredith of how much their love was worth and to just what point their devotion had evolved.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"You guys! The hurricane warning has been removed!" Jackson exclaimed from his seat beside the television. They had been sitting in the lobby for a little over three hours so far today, and to hear that the storm was coming to its end and that Meredith was doing just fine, it made the atmosphere much more relaxed.

"Do you think the power will be back on soon?" Lexie asked, to no one in specific.

"I hope so," Amy answered as she took a seat beside Jackson to get a good look at the weather forecast, her third coffee at hand.

"_What has been classified Seattle's largest storm in over a decade is now coming to its end. The storm has passed over the region and is making its way out into the ocean. Security measures are however still in place, and we ask that people still stay off the roads unless completely necessary. Recovery crews will be running the roads to mend to damages, and as for the power, we have been notified that it is being taken care of right now."_

_It was good news_, they thought. Amy was shaking her head however.

"How is it that the TV works during a power outage and not the elevator?"

Richard entered at that precise moment, and after hearing Amy question, decided he'd answer. "The elevator is supposed to work during a power outage," he announced, after having gone through the emergency manual in Derek's office. It had all the directions and tips for what to do in emergency case scenarios, and under power outage, a lot of them involved using the elevator. Finding it strange, he looked for more information and discovered that the last time there had been a power outage at Seattle Grace, the elevators were in fact in complete function.

He walked over to the second elevator and pressed the button to go up. Almost immediately, the door opened. Everyone exchanged confused glances and mumbled about what could have happened.

"We've come to the conclusion that the elevator wasn't properly connected to the generator's mechanisms. It was probably moved out of place when they did their annual inspection during the summer."

Cristina jumped out of her seat. "Can it be connected now?"

Richard smiled and he didn't need to say anything for everyone to understand. They were all chatting excitedly and mumbling about how Meredith would be out soon.

"There is a guy who is on his way over. It shouldn't be too long now until he's here and everyone is out of that elevator."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Hello?" Derek answered his phone. He was sitting beside Meredith who was leaning into him, his arm wrapped around her waist, and a smile on her lips. Everything was as good as it could be for the time being.

"Derek!" Lexie's excited voice came over the line. "Derek, Richard discovered the problem with the elevator and it's going to be fixed in no time!"

Derek couldn't help but let out a breath and tighten his grip around Meredith. "How… when … I mean… thank you."

Lexie giggled. "Everything is going to be just great."

Derek hung up and looked at everyone in the car before letting a smile escape onto his lips as he announced the news. "It's almost over. They've figured it out… they're going to get us out of here in no time."

Addie mumbled a quick thank you to some higher force as Stephanie danced excitedly. Finn let out a breath, letting go of all the worry and let a smile slip onto his lips. As for Meredith, she smiled excitedly and giggled. "See I told you guys everything would be fine."

Derek and Addie laughed and nodded. "We're sorry we ever doubted you," Derek mumbled as he kissed her on the forehead.

The chatter in the elevator was the lightest it had been all day. Everyone was smiling and laughing, and it seemed as if the world had done a complete one-eighty since everything had started going out of control. It was easier on Meredith now too, although she wouldn't admit to it, having Derek and Addie so worried about her made her slightly uncomfortable. She didn't want the attention, even though she knew they couldn't help but focus most of the attention on her right now. She was the one in labor. But since the news of their rescue had been delivered, the attention was shifting around.

"I should probably call Sam," Addie remembered suddenly. Carolyn had told her he had been calling for her, so it seemed like the right time to let him know everything was okay. Noticing that her phone had died, Derek lent her his and she smiled when his voice came over the line.

"Derek?" he asked, his name having appeared on the screen. "Is everything okay? How's Meredith?"

Addie giggled. "Everything's great and Meredith is quite fine."

"Addie!" Sam exclaimed. "How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing okay," she admitted. "Although not as good as Meredith," she added with a smile towards the woman she idolized in this very moment. "I have never seen anyone as strong as her. She's the only one who didn't fall into the frantic panic of it all."

Sam let out a breath. "It's good to hear everything is going all right. I've been worrying all afternoon. It's been on the news you know."

Addie seemed surprised. "What has?"

"There was a quick mention of their being five people stuck in an elevator at Seattle Grace hospital. They mentioned how three were staff members and two were visitors. They also said that one of the three doctors had gone into labor and that they had no more details on how, or when they would be getting you out. You guys are local celebrities"

Addie chuckled. "Just what Meredith wants."

Sam laughed. "I can just imagine her reaction. They mentioned her name too if that helps any."

Addie smiled. "I'm sure she'll love hearing this. As for the how and when of us getting out, we've been told we could be out any minute now."

"That's good to hear!" Sam exclaimed. "Let me know when everything has gotten under control."

Addie laughed. "I will. How's Nathaniel?"

Sam laughed. "He fell asleep before the storm and has been sleeping peacefully throughout it all. He awoke once around lunch time and went straight back to sleep."

Addison was shocked. "Nathaniel? As in the little boy who won't go an hour without waking up?"

Sam continued to laugh. "Yes, the little monster hasn't been awake for almost four hours now."

"Are you sure there's nothing wrong with him?"

"Addie," Sam said in a soft voice. "He's perfectly fine. Sleeping peacefully. If it weren't for all the crap going on at your end I would have to say this storm has been wonderful. I hope we have more so that Nate will sleep like this more often."

Addie chuckled. "In that case, more would be great, as long as nothing like what I'm going through ever happens again."

Sam let out one last small laugh. "Hope everything goes well."

"Me too," Addie said with a nod.

"Love you."

Addie smiled brightly. "Love you too."

With that, they both hung up and Addie faced Meredith.

"What was that first part all about?" Meredith asked. "What will I like?"

Addie laughed. "Sam just informed me you're a celebrity. It's all over the local news. I'll bet it's front page of tomorrow's paper, 'Woman in labor trapped in elevator for over three hours.'"

Meredith groaned as Derek and Finn laughed too.

"Not at all what I wanted," Meredith said as Derek wrapped both of his arms around her tightly.

"Hey, being a celebrity isn't so bad," Derek said and Meredith glared at him.

"I've been tagged a celebrity in Seattle too many times already. 'Ellis Grey's daughter, girl who held a bomb inside a man's chest, girl who came back from the dead'… It's just not as cool as people believe it is."

Finn was struck by something. "What do you mean, 'girl who came back from the dead.'"

"I died," Meredith said with a shrug, and Addie and Derek couldn't help but laugh at the expression on Finn's face to Meredith's simple answer.

"What… what do you mean?"

"Her heart had stopped," Addie explained, being a little more precise. "Her body was hypothermic and her heart stopped because of the cold. She was dead, medically speaking, for several hours, but when her body temperature had been restored, her heart had started beating again."

Finn was startled by all this. "Wow…" he mumbled. "Things haven't been easy on you, have they?"

Meredith let out a laugh. "That's not even the half of it. You have no idea…"

Derek decided he didn't want to hear about all that things that had happened in the past few years again, so he opted to change the subject. "So Finn, how are things with you?"

Meredith glanced up to Derek and he could see in her eyes that she was sorry she brought it up and that she understood why he had changed the topic. So did Finn.

"Things have been quite good lately. Especially now with Catherine and –"

"And me!" Stephanie exclaimed.

Finn laughed. "And you."

Addie was getting curious now. "So how did you and Catherine meet? We've been quite good friends since she has started working here, so it bugs me that she hasn't said anything."

Finn nodded. "We were keeping it to ourselves until we were ready, more serious. We met when she had brought Benji, their dog, in for a checkup. We talked a little bit and the connection seemed almost automatic. When I asked her out, she seemed hesitant at first, and it was then that she told me about Stephanie. I told her that I had figured she was a mother, most of the time you can just tell… But that I'd love to get a chance anyway. We've been seeing each other now for a little over two months."

Addie smiled. "She 's strong, almost as strong as Meredith… she needs someone like you in her life."

The others nodded and smiled.

"Just one question… do you make it a thing to date your patients owners?"

They all laughed as Finn shook his head. "No, just the ones that work at Seattle Grace apparently."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Dr Webber?" a man wearing work clothes and carrying a toolbox asked as he approached the lobby full of doctors and visitors. Jackson, Cristina, Lexie, Amy, Carolyn and Dylan had been sitting by the TV and had gotten up when they heard the voice. Mark and Richard were discussing something in the other corner and also turned towards the voice. Teddy had gone to get the patient they had left in the OR and bring him to his room now that they knew the elevator was working. Miranda had gone off to check up on her patients and make a quick visit with Ben while they were waiting for news. Catherine had escaped to the washroom, and was sure to be back in a few moments. And the security guy they had gotten to know quite well, Henry, had left after Richard had explained to him their solution. There were other things that he needed to help with, so he went off wishing them all the best.

"That's me," Richard said as he approached the man. "You must be Frank."

The man nodded. "I heard the story on the news. I'm glad I can be of assistance."

Mark seemed curious. "Story on the news?"

"Yes, about your friends stuck in the elevator. One of this is in labor, am I right?"

Mark nodded. "She happens to be my sister in law."

"And she's like a daughter to me," Richard added. "How long do you think it will take to fix this?"

Frank smiled. "They'll be out of there in no time."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Frank had been quite right. It had felt like no time at all before they heard the elevator startup again. Everyone exchanged glances and smiled excitedly. Carolyn, Catherine and Mark had already gone up to the fourth floor to wait for the elevator to finally make its way to its destination. Miranda had also returned and went to prepare Meredith a room. The others stayed in the lobby until they were told they could go visit Meredith.

As for those in the elevator, they hadn't been as prepared for the sudden movement of the car. Meredith's latest contraction had just finished that the elevator and dinged and it started moving upwards again.

"We're moving!" Stephanie exclaimed excitedly as everyone shared her enthusiasm. Derek hugged Meredith close and Addie and Finn smiled brightly at the thought of finally being out of this hell hole.

When the elevator halted and the doors finally opened, they were met by three excited faces and a gurney.

"Mommy!" Stephanie was the first to react. She ran into her mother's arms and Catherine kissed her several times before putting her back down.

Finn was the next one to get out, allowing Mark to push the gurney into the elevator so they could lift Meredith onto it. Derek did just that and once Meredith was well placed onto the moving bed, they pushed her out. Carolyn came to her side instantly.

"See I told all of you that my grandbabies were not going to be born in an elevator," she mumbled, as tears gathered in her eyes. "Thank goodness everything is okay."

Mark patted Derek on the back. "It's good to see you alive man," he said with a laugh and Derek smirked. "From the sounds of it, Meredith was the only one in that elevator that didn't seem to be dying."

Derek nodded slowly. "She was definitely the strongest out of all of us."

"Not me!" Stephanie shook her head. "I was strong too!"

"Except Stephanie," Addie said.

"It feels good to be out of there," Meredith breathed and Mark reached over to give her a friendly hug.

"It's good to see you again," he said with a laugh. "It feels like an eternity ago since I saw you last."

"It feels like an eternity ago that I saw anything but the walls of the elevator."

Derek reached for Meredith's hand and held it tightly in his own. "We're out of there now," he said with a smile. "And now we can breathe without having to worry."

Meredith nodded. "Yes we can."

"Meredith!" Miranda's voice came from a little distance away. Meredith looked up to see her former resident rush over to her side from the hall nearest to them. "Meredith, it's great to see you, and looking strong and healthy at that."

Meredith smiled. "I feel good actually. Better now, but there's no way I can't feel good right now. My little bundles of joy are just about here." She looked up to Derek and noticed his eyes moist up slowly. "Our little bundles of joy."

**(:**

**Review !**


	54. Deadly Thoughts

**SPOILER ! IF YOU HAVE NOT WATCHED THE SEASON FINALE, DO NOT READ THIS AUTHOR'S NOTE !  
So, I just want to say that I bawled like a baby last night watching the show. I had prepared myself all week for Derek to die. That's what I had imagined would happen. I was NOT ready for Lexie to leave. Anyone, AND I MEAN ANYONE could have died and I would have been able to accept it. That is, of course anyone BUT Mark or Lexie! We've been waiting much too long for them to finally get their happiness and this is what we get instead? A dying I love you ? I promise, there will be no Lexie murdering in my fanfics. There is some pretty dramatic stuff to come within the next ten to fifteen chapters, but I promise it's all pre written and none of it has to do with what has happened on the actual show. Because I would never do that to anyone. **

**On a lighter note, I want your guys opinions on maybe starting something up between Carolyn & Thatcher. I've been working on the chapters to come and it has kind of fallen into place, but before continuing with it, I want to know what you guys think. Let me know !**

**Okay, ENJOY !**

After Miranda had led them to Meredith's room that she had prepared herself for their very special patient, they all decided to give Meredith and Derek a little time before the wave of worried friends made their way in to see for themselves that everything was okay. Addison closed over the blinds and shut the door behind her as she was the last one to leave the room.

"I'll just be outside the door if you need anything," she informed them before pulling the door closed behind her.

Derek made his way to Meredith's bedside and crawled into the bed with her, making his way behind her so that her back lay against his chest, her body propped up easily between his legs. Her hands rested on the still very small baby bump, and Derek's hands made their way to her lower abdomen as he let out a small sigh.

"It's so close, I can almost feel it," he said as he rubbed her stomach gently. Meredith snuggled as deep into his chest as she could, a small smile playing at her lips.

"I sure can," she said with a small giggle. "And it's not as wonderful of a feeling as it should be. Men should go through contractions just so they know how frigging painful childbirth is and maybe then they won't complain about all the little things."

Derek laughed as he nuzzled his face into Meredith's wild blonde waves. "I won't complain, I promise. I can just imagine the pain you're going through."

Meredith smiled. "But it's worth it. Every contraction, every sore back, every painful step. It's worth it."

Derek nodded as Meredith tilted her head back to meet his eyes. They were bright and… bright and shiny, just like her.

"Are you ready for this? I mean, we were supposed to have over a month left before they were due… are we ready?"

Meredith shrugged. "I think we're ready. I feel I'm ready… well as ready as I'll ever be… are you ready?"

Derek smirked. "I've been ready since the day you asked about rooms for the kids."

Meredith smiled brightly. "That had been a wonderful day," she said as she remembered the beautiful house of lavenders.

"I'd say it was one of my top ten favorite days ever."

"Oh yeah?" Meredith asked.

Derek nodded. "Definitely not number one though."

Meredith giggled. "What was number one? Oh and the other eight?"

Derek shrugged. "I can't tell you, that would be too easy."

Meredith groaned, but Derek could hear the playfulness in her voice. "I don't know! I've only been a part of your life for what, four and a half years? That's four and a half years out of forty Derek. There's no way I can know everything!"

Derek chuckled. "But you'll know of every single one of my top ten days, because every single one of them I spent with you."

Meredith gasped slightly. "Derek…"

"Meredith," he said as he tightened his hold slightly around her. "Every single day you're with me can beat any of the days I spent without you. Even when I didn't know you. You're everything to me, and it is nothing but obvious that my top ten days were spent with you."

Meredith couldn't help but let a small tear escape her eyes. "Oh Derek…"

Derek kissed the top of her head as he let out a chuckle. "You still need to guess."

Meredith nodded. "Right… how about… our wedding day? I mean, our real wedding day. Not our almost wedding day, or our post it wedding day, because that wasn't the greatest day… but our real wedding day, with our friends and our family and all the wedding-y stuff."

Derek smile at her rambles. "I'd have to say our wedding day came in second. And our non wedding day and our post-it wedding day aren't very far behind."

Meredith giggled. "April 13th," she suddenly said, remember that fateful day when her world had been transformed by the positive test. "Your best day… April 13th."

Derek nodded into her back. "April 13th was definitely my best day. How could you guess?" he asked playfully.

"Because it was mine too."

Meredith leaned her head back and towards the side so she could see Derek's face, and she was met by his lips as they found hers. The kiss was wonderful, breathtaking. It was unlike any other kiss they had shared. It was just… indescribable.

When Derek pulled away, both of their smiles were as bright as could be and their eyes were sparkling with happiness. Meredith leaned her head back onto his shoulder and decided to continue playing the game. "What about the other five best days?"

Derek laughed. "Well there was that night, at Joe's, where you seduced me and –"

"You seduced me! You were the one who took advantage. I was just the young, innocent intern who couldn't resist because the high alcohol content in my blood."

Derek's laughs got stronger. "Oh, okay. So now it's the alcohol's fault that we're in love, happily married and about to start our very own family."

Meredith giggled. "Derek, it was always the alcohol's fault."

Derek kissed her neck before moving on. "And then there was the day we found out we were having twins…"

Meredith thought back on the moment she told Derek about her carrying twins, but she also remembered the other events of that day. "Derek…"

"Meredith, it was a very emotional day, I'll admit, but it was one of the most wonderful days all things considering. Not only did we find out we were having twins, my little princess was saved and you were back in my arms."

Meredith went to wipe her eyes, because they had become teary from the emotion in Derek's voice, but Derek bet her to it.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear.

"Mmm… I love you too… so very much." She cuddled her head further into his neck as he gently stroked his hand over her bare stomach. She had slid into the gown as soon as they made it to her room, but it was a shorter gown than most and Derek had no difficulty snaking his arm up it so that the skin of his hand was on the skin of her abdomen, that skin being the only barrier between his touch and their little wonders. "We're still missing three days Derek."

Derek smiled brightly. "I know."

"So…?" Meredith asked, not wanting to guess anymore.

"I can't remember the exact day for this one," he admitted. "But it happened not long after our wedding. When I first saw the strong bond building between the two favorite women in my life, I knew that that day would be hard to beat. You and mom… you've become so close it warms my heart to see the way the two of you are able to interact, to love each other as if you were blood related, as if you had known each other your entire lives. It's… amazing. And even with the girls… you fit in with them so perfectly… there's no way to express how I felt when I saw you with my family. It was… incredible."

It was Meredith's turn to wipe away the tear building in Derek's eye. They were happy tears, just like hers had been, but they were tears non-the less and it was a natural instinct to wipe them away. "I love them Derek," she said in a small voice. "They're the family I wish I had… and now I do… and I love them… all of them."

Derek brought Meredith in closer to him with a tight hug. "I know. And they love you. And they are all yours. Forever."

Meredith nodded as she smiled. "Two more," she reminded him.

"Ah yes," Derek said with a small chuckle. "The day you finally agreed to marry me."

Meredith nodded. "I knew that was coming."

Derek smiled as he remembered the proposal. "It was you… it was me… it was us… it was…"

"Perfect," Meredith finished for him. "Did you realize that the elevator we just spent our entire day in was the same one…?"

Derek seemed shocked by this small piece of information. "No…" he admitted. "I hadn't… the thought hadn't occurred to me until now… Wow…"

"Our miracle elevator," she giggled.

Derek nodded with a chuckle. "Our miracle elevator."

"So much has happened in those elevators."

"It's also the same elevator you kissed me in… all those years ago…"

Meredith laughed. "Okay I'll admit, I did bring that one on myself."

Just then, the door burst open and Meredith giggled as the room filled quickly with impatient visitors.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Where is she, where is she?" Amy was the first to speak when they noticed Addison, Mark, Carolyn and Miranda standing in the hallway. All had smiles on their faces so things must've been going well.

Addie giggled. "Relax, you'll get to see her soon. Just give her a little time."

"Is she okay? I mean, in a medical perspective… sure she says she's okay, but is she –" Lexie was cut off.

"She's okay," Addison answered with a smile. "In her own mind and in her doctor's perspective."

"So how do things go from here?" Cristina asked, wanting to know how things would proceed. "Will she need a C-section?"

Addie sighed. "I'm going to recommend it, I am, but we all know Meredith. She's stubborn and she wants it done naturally. And she's strong, so I do believe she can do it, but there's still those chances…"

"What happens if something does occur?" Richard suddenly asked, seeming quite worried for his little girl.

"We'll be ready this time. We'll be able to get her to an OR. We won't be stranded in an elevator."

Everyone nodded. They waited a few more minutes, knowing Meredith and Derek needed this time together, they're last little time alone, but they all grew impatient to see with their own eyes that Meredith was okay.

"Okay, we've waited long enough," Amy giggled as she reached for the door. "I want to see my sister."

Nor Addie or Miranda had the time to stop her. They just rolled their eyes as they followed the crowd who had already managed to fit through the tight doorway.

"Meredith!" Amy had exclaimed as soon as she had laid eyes on the smiling and radiating woman lying on the bed, tightly wrapped in her husband's arms. "I see Derek hasn't had any trouble in seducing you," she commented as she motioned her head towards Derek's moving hands under Meredith's gown.

"Never has," Meredith answered with an evil grin. "Haven't you noticed he's had me knocked up for a while now?"

Everyone chuckled as Derek turned slightly red. "That was uncalled for," he groaned as Meredith gave him a kiss on the cheek. She was smiling brightly and Derek couldn't help but smile in response, even if he was trying to be mad.

"Maybe, but it's true."

Present in the room other than the loving couple lying in the bed were Amy, Lexie, Cristina, Richard, Addison, Miranda, Mark and Carolyn. Jackson and Dylan had opted to staying in the hallway, and Catherine had gone off with Finn and Stephanie, but had promised to be back soon.

"You're glowing Meredith," Cristina commented with a smile. Meredith couldn't help but let another giggle escape her lips as everyone nodded. "This whole soapy story with a happy ending fits you well."

"It's not over yet," Meredith said, and everyone gazed at her, knowing there was something more, "but I'm determined happy endings are as beautiful as fairy tales make them seem."

"You're ever ever after," Lexie said with a giggle of her own. She grabbed Meredith's hand and gave it a tight squeeze. "After every hurricane comes a rainbow." Meredith gazed up into Lexie's eyes and everyone could see the moment between them. They hugged quickly and both had teary eyes. "This is it."

Meredith nodded. "This is it."

Addie spoke up. "Okay everyone. I don't want to be a bummer or anything, but I do believe there are too many visitors. Derek and Carolyn can stay, along with Miranda. As for the rest of you's –"

"What!" Amy exclaimed with a giggle. "Not even ten minutes and already we're being kicked out?"

Mark patted her on the back as he led her towards the door. "Come on Amy," he said as he pushed her over the threshold. He turned around to Meredith and winked as he mouthed a good luck and shut the door.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Meredith, we need to talk about your options here," Addie said with a sigh. She knew the moment was coming since Cristina had asked her about it in the hall over half an hour before. She had just been trying to hold it off for as long as possible. However, it was reaching the point where time was limited.

Meredith nodded slowly as Derek tightened his grip around her hand. He had crawled out of the bed shortly after the crew had disappeared, sitting in the chair closest to Meredith's bed, next to his mother. He hadn't let go of Meredith's hand however since he had gotten out of the bed. The physical contact was reassuring, to both of them.

"At this point, with everything you've been through, I want to highly recommend a C-Section. It's less risky at this point and if anything were to occur, we'd already be as well prepared as we could be. Miranda and I would be performing the surgery. I've been your doctor since the beginning," she said with a smile, "and Miranda assisted when we operated on your daughter, so we believe this is our best option."

"As you know," Miranda continued, "your other option is a natural birth, which could get very dangerous and very risky. The possibility of there being complications is nearly unavoidable when delivering premature, let alone delivering multiples and in your situation. We know that you're strong and that you really wanted to give birth naturally but Meredith, is it truly worth the risk? One of the babies or even both might not survive the birth, whereas they have more chance of survival if we perform a caesarian. And as not only your doctors, but as two people who truly love you, we want to do what's best for you and your babies and we want all three of you to go through as little trauma as possible from this moment on in the delivery."

Meredith took it all in, misty eyed. Things weren't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to get at least one easy moment. Why couldn't it be right now?

"Can… can we… Can Derek and I have… a few minutes to talk about this… it's… we need to talk about this…" she mumbled as she tried to cover up the tears.

The two doctors nodded sadly as they made their way out of the room. Carolyn got up, but before leaving the room grabbed Meredith's free hand and with a tight squeeze, gave her a reassuring but pained smile. "You'll make the right choice," she said before letting go of her hand and leaning over the bed to lay a kiss on her forehead.

Meredith nodded slowly with a sigh as she watched Carolyn exit the room and close the door behind her.

"Meredith…" Derek murmured as he got to his feet and Meredith finally let the tears flow freely. "Oh Meredith…" he said as he crawled onto the edge of the bed and pulled her against him, her head resting tucked away in his chest, just under his shoulder. He rubbed her back gently as she shook, sobbing as she finally gave in and faced the facts.

"They're… Derek… things could… it's going to get… they might not… I might not –"

Derek cut her off because he really didn't want to hear what was about to leave her mouth. He couldn't hear it, not after all they had gone through to get to this moment.

"Meredith, listen to me," he said as she locked her pained, tear filled eyes with his blue misty ones. "You are all going to be fine. All three of you are going to be fine. I will not let anything happen to you, and neither will Addie or Miranda. You're not just any other expecting mother who has had one hell of a tough pregnancy to them. You're their inspiration, you've shown them that even when the going gets tough, you fight one hell of a battle to make it to the finish line in one piece, and they love you. They're not going to let anything happen to you or the babies."

Meredith was still sobbing. "Derek, I'm a surgeon… and I see… everyday, people die… even if their surgeons fight with everything they've got… something could happen… something could… and even Addison and Miranda can't avoid the fact that something… that there be more than they thought there was and… and…" she couldn't go any further. She was in full fledged tears once again and Derek had to fight with all of his strength to not let his wet eyes overflow with hers. It was his turn to be strong for her.

"None of those patients Meredith… none of them had the strength and the will to live that you have… You have super powers or something, because nobody can believe all the things you've gone through and have come out nearly unscathed. You're the miracle mom…"

He smiled when he noticed the small smile appear on the corners of Meredith's lips. "Miracle mom…" she repeated slowly. "I'm… I'm about to be a mom…" she said and her breath hitched in her throat as she voiced the realization that had just hit her. "Derek… we're about to be parents…"

Derek nodded. "Yes we are."

Meredith buried herself back in his chest but her breathing had returned to normal and Derek could feel her relax in his arms.

"So are we going with the C-section?" Derek asked temptingly, knowing that this was the moment they needed to decide. Surely she would agree that this was the best option, and that the natural birth just wasn't a safe choice this time around. _There would be other chances,_ he thought. But when Meredith didn't answer, he grew worried.

"Meredith?" he said, panic in his voice as he pulled away slightly to get a good look at her. It was then that the horror struck him. "Meredith!"

Her limp body flopped back into his arms now that she wasn't propped up against his body for support. Her skin had gone ghostly white, and for anybody who hadn't known Meredith or her situation, they would have claimed her to be dead. Derek shook her slightly, trying to get her to wake up but it didn't work. "Meredith!" he called out to her again as a whimper escaped his lips and his tears poured out.

He reached frantically for the red button on the side of her bed, but had trouble finding it through his blurry eyes and with his shaky hands. But even before he was able to press the button, Addison and Miranda burst through the doors, having heard Derek's pained yell.

"What happened?" Addison called out as Derek got out of the way, against his own will. His brain told him he needed to make room for Addison and Miranda to figure out what was wrong with his Meredith, but his heart told him to stay by her side and to hold her hand in his to remind her that he was there for her. His body had the final say in this battle and his feet led him towards the window, not tearing his eyes away from his beautiful… lifeless… Meredith.

"We… she … Oh God… oh... We were talking … and then… she was quiet… she had relaxed… and then… and then…"

Addison looked up to Derek and noticed what a mess he looked like all of a sudden. There was no color in his face and his eyes were dark and sorrowful. He wasn't going to like this but…

"Miranda, get Derek out of here… now."

Miranda nodded as she went to Derek's side.

"Miranda… no… I need to be here for… I need to make sure she knows I'm here for her," Derek mumbled as he shook his head.

"Derek, we need you to go wait in the waiting room. You need people around you right now. We'll take care of Meredith," she finished as she led Derek towards the door. As they were going out, Catherine rushed in.

"I got the page," she said as she made her way to Addie's side. "Are we taking her to the OR?"

Addie sighed. "We have no choice. Let's get a move on!" she called out to the resident and the other nurses in the room.

They wheeled Meredith out of the room where people just stared as they watched Seattle Grace's number one celebrity's dead looking body get pushed through the crowd to the elevator. Addie almost hesitated before going in, but she knew nothing would happen this time around. She played nervously with her necklace, then her ring as they waited for the elevator to make it to the OR floor. It seemed to take forever, much longer than usual. But the dinging noise finally came and the doors slid open while Catherine and one of the other nurses, along with the resident, pushed Meredith out into the hallway. Addie followed close behind, but her head was pounding as thoughts filled her mind. Never in her life had she been this nervous to go into the OR.

"Dr Montgomery?" the resident mumbled as Catherine and the two nurses prepped Meredith in OR 1. "Dr Montgomery?" she called again, not having been able to catch her attention the first time around. She snapped out of her trance, and she realized she was standing outside the scrub room, unable to move.

"Huh?" she jumped slightly at the sound of voice penetrating her thoughts.

"Are you alright?" the resident asked. Addie knew she knew her name but she really didn't have the heart to remember it at this very moment. "Can...can you do this?"

The resident had just voiced Addie's worst thought. _Can I?_ She didn't know how to answer. What had she gotten herself into? She couldn't… she didn't know if she could do this. This was Meredith, a good friend, no, more than a good friend of hers. They had created a bond, and the pressure on Addison's shoulders felt unbearable. _What if…_

Derek would never be able to look at her again. Even Mark… Mark would probably shun her for the rest of her life. And Carolyn… oh God, Carolyn had made her feel so accepted since the wedding, and the Shepherd sisters… that would all be lost too, this would create an even bigger gap between them than the divorce did.

And not to mention her life at Seattle Grace. The people she had become such good friends with… she'd lose that. Richard… oh… Richard would never treat her the same… and Miranda… she would be by her side, she knew that… but she could just imagine the look in the back of her eye, having to deal with the loss of another one of her 'children.'

But worst of all, worse than Miranda, worse than Derek, she would never be able to look at herself in the mirror without feeling remorse and hatred towards herself. She couldn't imagine moving on if she were to be the cause of… no. She would do like Derek had done, the time she had been in Seattle for Archer, and Derek had lost his patient. She would run off, never to face anyone ever again. She didn't think she'd be able to face anyone again, and nobody would care. She'd be gone, she wouldn't be able to hurt anyone ever again.

And then she thought of Nathaniel. Her little boy. The miracle that she called her own. But she'd never be able to look at him again, not without thinking about how she had him and Derek had… nothing. No one. She couldn't… she just couldn't do this.

But she had to. Because if she didn't do anything, there was no chance for either Meredith or her babies. She was their only hope. The weight rested on her shoulders. Three lives… not one… not even two… the lives of three people she loved were in her hands, were hanging by a thread and she was the only one who could keep them hanging on. She needed to do this… she needed to…

But her feet wouldn't move.

She was glued to the floor, inches away from the scrub room.

Inches away from the toughest life and death situation she was ever faced with.

Minutes away from saving or claiming the life of someone she had grown to love, someone she had grown to think of as a younger sister.

And all she could do was stand, dumbstruck, feet glued to the ground, as the resident whom she couldn't care less right now about what her frigging name was stared at her, confusion and worry painted on her face.

Her breathing got heavy and she felt her head spinning madly just thinking about the immediate future that was upon her.

Never in her life as a surgeon had she felt this nervous before a surgery. Never.

She ignored the voices around her. She couldn't understand a word they were saying anyway. She wasn't even sure if they were speaking English…

But this wasn't just any other surgery. This was Meredith Grey, Meredith Shepherd's life on the line and the pressure was too much.

She was going to hurl.

**Duh duh ! Okay, so that's a chap ! Hope you liked and there's plenty more where that came from ! Review !**


	55. Anxious Awaiting

"Derek?" Carolyn called out as she noticed her son and Miranda come down the hall towards where she was. She hadn't gone all the way to the waiting room to find the others, knowing she would be back to Meredith's bedside in not too long, but as she took in the expression on Derek's face, she knew something was not how it should be. "Oh sweetie, what's going on?"

As soon as they had reached her, she opened her arms wide and Derek took this gratefully. She held him tight, and she could feel his body quivering, wracked with sobs. Something terrible had happened.

"Shh sweetie… everything is going to be okay… she's going to be okay…"

Miranda gave them a forced sympathetic smile, one full of sadness, before she excused herself. "I need to go find Addison. We'll update you."

Carolyn nodded as she ran her fingers through Derek's hair. "Come on, let's go find the others."

Derek pulled away slightly. "No… not yet…"

"Okay… okay then."

Derek pulled away completely and led Carolyn to the nearest on-call room, where Derek dropped himself on one of the beds. Carolyn slowly sat down beside him and rubbed his back softly, trying to comfort him during this difficult time.

"She was fine… we were talking… and then… she… it was so scary… I… she was… she wasn't there… her body… oh God… her body was like… and she was white… she looked as if… but… Addie came… and now…"

"Derek…" Carolyn mumbled as a tear escaped the corner of her eye. "She's going to be okay… mother's instinct."

"What if she's not?" Derek managed to choke out, not truly wanting to acknowledge the fact that he may never see her smiling again, that he may never hold her warm body against his. It was too much… he couldn't handle any of it.

"She's going to be just fine Derek. And so will my grandbabies. They've, all three of them, all four of you, you've been through too much for this to be end, and you know that. They're all going to be fine."

Derek nodded slowly and Carolyn brought him in for another reassuring hug. They sat in silence for some time, and Carolyn remembered, although she had tried so hard to forget, a moment that had changed her life.

"_Hello?" she answered the phone, sleep still present in her voice. It was after midnight and phone calls like this always worried her, imagining the worst, but usually it was just one of the girls calling for a drive, knowing that they were in no state to drive after a night on the town._

"_Hello, Mrs. Shepherd?" a man's voice made her heart sink low in her chest._

"_Yes, speaking." At this point, the panic was evident in her voice._

"_Your daughters have just been victims of a fatal car crash. We ask that you come to New York Presbyterian hospital. Medical decision will be in need of being taken."_

"_Oh… oh god," she whimpered into the phone. "This… no… this can't be…"_

"_I'm sorry," he said before Carolyn hung up. _

_She rushed to get dressed and find her purse, and all of Nancy and Kathleen's medical information being stashed in the safe in her bedroom, she rushed upstairs to grab everything. Passing the bedrooms, she realized she couldn't leave the three others home alone. She made a frantic call to her sister Maureen, who luckily lived a few blocks away and she assured her she would be down as fast as she could. _

_She was about to leave her bedroom and get the car started and ready to go when a voice caught her by surprise. _

"_Mom, what's going on?"_

_Carolyn hurriedly wiped the tears away from under her eyes as she approached her son. "Go back to bed sweetie," she mumbled. "Aunt Maureen will be here soon to keep an eye on you guys."_

_Derek, who was seventeen at this time, wasn't an idiot. "Where are you going?"_

"_Derek…"_

"_Mom, you're in no shape to drive. You're having trouble standing up straight. And it looks like you could use someone right about now."_

_Carolyn nodded slowly as she passed Derek the car keys. He brought her in for a hug and went to his room to pull on some clothes. When he came back out, his mother had her jacket on and she was in the process of pulling on her boots. _

"_Will you tell me what's going on?" he asked as he went to grab his jacket. _

_She shook her head._

"_Mom…" he said. "You need to tell me what's going on…"_

"_I'll… when we get there, I'll explain."_

_He nodded. He could do that._

_Maureen pulled in at that moment and Carolyn went out to meet her, and to thank her. The cool February air made her shiver, but it didn't stop her. Derek followed close behind._

"_Thank you," she mumbled as the two women embraced each other._

"_I'll bring the girls up tomorrow," she said in a whisper that Derek wasn't able to hear._

_Carolyn nodded and Maureen made her way into the house. Carolyn turned towards her own car, and Derek made his way to the driver's side. After starting up the car, he looked to his mother. "Where to?"_

_Almost inaudible, her answer sent a chill down Derek's spine. "New York Presbyterian hospital."_

_Derek didn't know what to expect. The drive was silent, and longer than it usually was. When they finally pulled into the visitor parking lot, Derek decided it was time to ask what they were doing there._

"_Kathleen and Nancy were in a terrible car accident," was all she said as they made their way to the information desk, and from there were led to the ER waiting room for more information._

_When they walked into the waiting room, the first person they spotted was Nicholas, Kathleen's husband. In his arms was a sleeping, one year old Andrew, completely oblivious to what was going on._

"_How are they?" Carolyn asked after sharing a quick hug with her son in law. _

"_Critical condition," Nicholas answered with difficulty. "Kath just went into surgery. Nancy's in the ICU on a ventilator. Both suffered from major blows to their heads."_

_Carolyn sobbed and Derek tried his hardest to be strong for his mother. Kathleen, who was twenty five, was doing her internship at that very hospital and her life was just starting. Nancy, twenty, was currently in med school, following in her sister's footsteps. They were such smart, beautiful young women, and their lives had just begun. Surely they would be okay._

"_How… how did it happen?"_

_Derek took Andrew from Nicholas, him not looking so great at that moment. "They had been shopping… They weren't out drinking, I promise," he said, as if that was what Carolyn was imagining. "Kathleen had called me around ten telling me they just needed to make one more stop, a little ways out, and then she would be home, and that Nancy would be staying the night. Eleven o'clock came around and they weren't home yet. By eleven thirty, I started getting really worried and called both Kathleen and Nancy's phones, but neither one of them were answering. It was about midnight when the police called me and told me they had been in a head on collision with a drunk driver and his friends. Three out of four of the people in the other car didn't make it. The fourth, one of the two who were sitting in the back is in surgery too. They don't… they don't know if any of… they don't know if they'll make it."_

_Derek wrapped his arm around his mother's shoulder. "They'll be fine mom," he reassured her. "They're strong women, they'll make it through this."_

And they had. They had come out with nothing more than several scars and very little memory of the night. It had taken a few days for them to wake up, but they had come around and life had gone on.

And Meredith would do the same. She'd be fine. She'd make it through.

Everything would be okay.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I wonder if she agreed to doing the C-section," Cristina said as she fidgeted with her watch. "I hope she did."

"I imagine she did, especially if Derek had any say," Mark answered.

"Surely somebody will let us know," Richard added, and everyone nodded.

"I hope we get to see her one last time before she goes in to surgery."

"I highly doubt it," Cristina shook her head. "They'll want to get her in and out as fast as they can, so to have all of us visit would take too much time."

"Still…" Amy argued. She wanted to wish Meredith good luck.

"Let's just hope everything goes well," Lexie said. "It's the best we can do right now."

"We need to be strong for her," Jackson agreed. "We need to be there for her, as far away as we are."

They all nodded.

They had gone quiet for a little bit, then individual conversations brewed up among the groups. Lexie was the first one who noticed the new visitors.

"We came as soon as they announced the roads were half decent," Izzie exclaimed, Alex trailing behind her. "It was all over the news! How is she?"

"Well they've gotten her out and she was fine when we went up to see her about half an hour ago," Richard explained. "We haven't heard anything since."

"So the babies aren't born yet?" Alex asked, just as worried as Izzie, but trying his best to hide it.

They all shook their heads. "Not that we've heard," Cristina added.

"I really wish I could stay around, but my shift starts in half an hour," Alex said, and Cristina glanced at her watch.

"Crap, me too."

"We'll keep both of you posted," Jackson promised as he gave Cristina a quick kiss. Alex and Cristina disappeared into the elevator, the one that had been working the entire time. They had all avoided the other one, especially since the power wasn't back yet.

"I should probably make a quick round on my patients," Mark mumbled, and Richard decided he should too. They disappeared too, leaving only Lexie, Izzie, Amy, Jackson and Dylan.

It was then that Amy's phone started ringing and caught them all by surprise.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Amy!" the very familiar voice exclaimed on the other line. "How is everything holding up in storm city? I heard on the radio that there was quite the storm over there. How bad is it?"

Amy sighed. "Nat, you have no idea…"

"Amy, what's going on? Has the storm been that bad?" Natalie now sounded worried, which wasn't something people got used to. The usually peppy, filled with positivity woman was almost never worried.

"The storm has caused some havoc here," she said. "The power went out here, at the hospital, and things got a little crazy. We found out there were people trapped in an elevator and –"

"In an elevator?" Natalie exclaimed with a laugh. "I thought that only happened in movies!"

"Nat!" Amy said, exasperated. "It's not funny! Addie and Meredith were among them."

Amy heard Natalie gasp slightly. "Oh god, are they okay?"

"They're out now, but –"

"Let me talk to Meredith," Natalie demanded. "I'm calling Meredith."

"You can't Nat!" Amy exclaimed. "While in the elevator she went into labor."

"WHAT!"

"Like I said, she's out now and when we had a chance to visit her about forty five minutes ago, she was fine, but we haven't heard anything since."

"Well, keep me posted," she said.

"I will," Amy answered and hung up. "It was Natalie," she told the others, who already knew.

"I have a feeling it won't be long before we get phone calls from two other very worried sisters once Nat passes on that information," Lexie said, with a slight smile.

Amy let out a laugh. "Nope, not long at all."

Within the next fifteen minutes they had, in fact, gotten two more phone calls from Nancy and Kathleen. They promised they'd let them know when they knew more and they all answered with well wishes and good lucks. The power was still out, but the storm was nearly passed. The thunder wasn't as loud and the wind wasn't a constant howl like it had been nearly five hours ago.

It was a little after four, and it had been over an hour since they had heard anything about Meredith.

"It's probably nothing," Izzie tried to brush it off. "Probably just a lot to talk about, or maybe they sent an intern to inform us how things were going and they got lost."

Jackson cracked a small smile at Izzie's last comment, but still wasn't convinced.

"Heard anything yet?" Mark called out when he approached.

"Other than from Nat, Nance and Kath, not a thing," Amy answered.

"The girls called?"

Amy nodded. "Natalie called first. Told her what was going on. She's the one who told Kathleen and Nancy everything that was going on, and they called here for more details."

Mark let out a laugh. "The whole world will know soon enough."

Lexie rolled her eyes. "It was on the news Mark. The world pretty much does."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Miranda had put on a brave face as she walked up towards the OR floor, after leaving Derek in the care of his mother. She wouldn't let her emotions show. She tried her hardest to keep everything inside. She needed to be there for Meredith, she needed to be strong. But she felt as if those salty balls of water that she tried so hard to keep from escaping were doing everything possible to tumble out and prove that she wasn't as strong as she wanted to be.

She got onto the elevator and tried her best to ignore the other occupants; however, it was difficult for them to ignore her. They had heard about Meredith's incident, they knew she was in labor, and they knew that Bailey would be having quite the day. What knowledge they lacked was that Meredith was now in critical condition, and that things were… getting difficult.

Miranda quickly wiped away the few loose tears that had managed to slip from her eyes, as hard as she tried to keep them at a bay. The other occupants had all exited, and she was now alone, which didn't make her feel any better. But it did give her the opportunity to let her walls down temporarily and she took full advantage.

The tears came, and she made no attempt to stop them this time around. _Why? Why Meredith? Why again?_ She pictured her limp body, the last image she had of Meredith was now infused into her brain. She was fine, and then she… wasn't. But it wasn't over yet. No, it wasn't. There was still hope, and she had full confidence in Addison and her abilities, and she knew that Meredith would make it through, and that the babies would be absolutely fine.

_Babies… _she thought, and her hand instinctively made their way to her stomach. Her baby was safe, and Meredith's were fighting for their lives. They were going to be so small, so fragile, so…

Helpless.

They would be through hell and back, both of them – no all three of them – before anything was remotely okay. And Derek… Derek would have to watch them all suffer through it. He was going to suffer too. Miranda didn't know whether he'd make it at all…

But he had too.

Because Meredith and their miracle babies would make it through, and they would need him.

The elevator finally stopped and as Miranda glanced up at the numbers lit up beside her, she realized it was time to face the inevitable. The time had come to open Meredith up on the table and watch as she became weak, something Miranda had witnessed rarely, it was something she just couldn't get used to. Meredith was strong, she always had been, and she would have to watch her in her weakest moment, she would have to protect her in that moment of weakness…

She would have to save her.

More accurately, she would have to watch as Addie saved her.

But as she turned the corner and the person in question came into view, the worst fear of all came upon her. What if Addie couldn't save her?

"Addie," Miranda said as she approached. Addie didn't move, didn't even flinch. She just stood there, looking at… the resident? No. She was lost in her own little world.

Dr Healey seemed frightened. When she noticed Dr Bailey approach, her expression relaxed slightly, but the fear was still there, and it was still evident. She slowly moved from where she was standing and made her way to Miranda's side.

"Is Dr Montgomery ok?" Bailey asked Dr Healey.

Dr Healey shook slightly. "I… I don't know…" she stuttered. "I was… I was going to ask you that…"

A thought suddenly occurred and Miranda felt the blood drain from her face. "Oh… Oh God! Is it Meredith? Is she…" she couldn't finish what she was saying.

The resident shook her head. "No, Dr Shepherd is being prepped."

Miranda let out a breath of relief. But she was still very panicked. It seemed from her perspective that Addison was in no shape to be operating.

But she needed to be.

"Addison."

Addison still didn't flinch.

"Dr Montgomery!" Miranda exclaimed

Addie turned towards her suddenly and Miranda didn't know how to take the expression on her face. It was lifeless, drained… but the color of her skin made Dr Bailey a little worried.

"Miranda…" Addie said quietly. She didn't look too good.

"Dr Healey, grab me that bin and quickly!" she ordered, designating the empty garbage tin beside the door.

It took her no more than a few seconds to grab the bin and pass it to Bailey, just in time. Addison grabbed her hair quickly and leaned over the metal bucket and let the very little food she had eaten that day spur out.

"Hey… " Miranda said reassuringly as she rubbed her back. "Feeling any better?"

Addie looked up. "You should be the one getting sick, not me."

Miranda let out a small smile. "You going to be okay?"

Addie nodded. "I have to be. I… I can do this."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Panic. That's what Meredith's family and friends were feeling.

They knew something wasn't right. They somehow knew that something had gone wrong. It had been an hour and a half since they had heard anything from anybody. They tried to work, they tried to distract themselves with anything they could, but they just couldn't get their minds off of Meredith and her little miracles. They just… couldn't.

Five o'clock had come and gone. It was now getting close to six, and the storm had come to an end. However, nobody went home. They all needed to stay around, to make sure Meredith was okay. They all would want people around in a situation like this, and they felt they owed this much to the amazing woman they all looked up to.

Even Dylan had stuck around. He hadn't felt all that comfortable with the crowd in the beginning, other than with Mark, Amy, Lexie and Carolyn, but he had gotten the chance to get to know all the others very well in the time they had been there. He had especially enjoyed getting to know Jackson, and Cristina reminded him of his wife; strong on the outside, but soft and sensitive on the inside, as hard as they tried to hide it. He could definitely see how she would turn out after a few more years with Jackson.

He had also gotten the opportunity to meet Callie and Malcolm, who had stopped by quickly to get updates before starting their shifts. They hadn't been stuck in the hospital during the storm. No, they had been home and had heard about Meredith's state from the news. Apparently, it had been brought up on the radio about every half hour.

Dylan's cell started to ring and he answered quickly, smiling at the sound of his daughters voice.

"Hey sweetheart," he said as Lisa giggled. "How are things going over there?"

"Pretty good," she answered. "Trev's at a friend's house, so mommy and I have been having a girls day."

Dylan laughed. "That's good to know. How was your practice this morning?"

He could hear the excitement in his daughter's voice when she answered. "It was great dad! I feel like a princess! And I've made some new friends. Girls from the other grace six classes. And then there's Romeo… he's really nice too…"

Dylan chuckled and he knew his daughter was turning red. She got embarrassed quite easily. "That's good to know. How was Trevor's game last night?"

"They won," Lisa answered. "Now they have third place in the league!"

"Tell him congrats for me."

"Will do daddy-o!" she said with a laugh. "Oh, mommy wants to talk to you."

"Okay, love you sweetie!"

"You too daddy."

Dylan could hear the phone shifting, and then could hear his wife telling his daughter to go pick out a movie.

"Hey honey," she finally said.

"Hello beautiful," he answered with a smile. "I hear things are going well?"

"Things are just great over here." She paused. "How about things over there? I've heard all about the storm. I take it you've been stuck in the hotel all day?"

Dylan couldn't help but let out a dry laugh. "Haven't been to the hotel since before lunch. Derek and I weren't letting the storm get in our way so we went out for coffee anyway, but…"

"Oh god," she whispered. "Don't tell me you guys got yourself hurt in that weather? Were you in an accident?"

Dylan was quick to reassure her. "No no… we're fine. Well, physically we're both fine. I'm at the hospital though."

There was a short silence before Trish responded. "Physically?"

"Meredith went into labor while she was trapped in the elevator. Derek found out while we were at the café down the street. We've been here since about 12:30."

"Oh my! Is Meredith okay? Is she still in the elevator?"

"No she's out, but we haven't heard anything for a while."

Trish let out a sigh. "Well, let me know how things go."

"I will," he promised.

"And…"

"Yes?" he said, a little unsure.

"Be careful."

He couldn't help but smile. "I will. I promise."

He hung up and went back to where some of the others were sitting. Lexie, Izzie and Jackson seemed to be the only ones there.

"Where did Mark and Amy go?" he asked as he took a seat with the other three.

"They went to check on their patients. They should be back soon though," Lexie answered.

Dylan nodded. "Still no news?" They all shook their heads sadly.

Richard had joined them soon after, and Amy and Mark had found their way back. Things grew eerily quiet between them. Nobody knew what to say anymore. Things were just… not right.

Heads shot up when they heard approaching footsteps. Little smiles came out when they noticed the new visitors. Even though things were dark at that very moment, the smiling baby lifted their spirits slightly.

Mark took Nathaniel from Sam's arms as the group started up again.

"Any news?" Sam asked. Last he had heard, they were still all stuck in the elevator.

Amy updated him as much as she could. She told him that they were no longer in the elevator, and that Meredith had seemed good last time they had spoken, but that they hadn't heard anything and that they were starting to really worry.

"It's been two hours!" Mark nearly screamed. "Why haven't we heard anything?"

They could see the emotion in his eyes. This was really getting to him. It was getting to everybody, but to see it in Mark's eyes… that was really something.

"Mark, somebody will tell us… somebody is going to let us know…" she trailed off when she noticed Miranda Bailey coming in their direction. This was it. The update they had been waiting for.

But as they looked into Miranda's eyes, they all feared this wasn't the update they wanted to hear.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After pulling on his scrubs and making his way to the nurse's station, Alex finally let his mind wander. He was strong. Always had been strong. Except for the rare exception, like when his wife was dying. But as he truly thought about it, this could end up being one of his weaker moments.

He had seen Meredith through it all. Him and Cristina and Izzie… they had been there throughout this entire journey. Sure Shepherd had been around since the beginning, and Bailey, and Webber … but the interns had been a group since the beginning. They had been a family.

Although he would never admit it, losing George had been tough on him too. The girls had all had their ways of expressing their loss. He had mostly kept it to himself. But he had built a brotherly relationship with him, and his loss had hit him like it had hit everyone else. He was just good at hiding that.

And then Izzie had disappeared. It had punctured a hole in his heart, one that he believed would never be patched up. But it had been, the moment she had been back in his arms.

Now it was Meredith. He couldn't think about losing another one of his makeshift family members. He had lost enough of his family as it was. And he knew better than to have those negative thoughts, but he couldn't help it…

He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind when he noticed Dr Robbins near the nurse's station, a certain unidentifiable look on her face. It was the look she usually had when she had a patient in a tough situation.

"I'm on your service today," Alex said when she was just next to him.

She looked up at him. "I… um… I don't think… maybe you should see if someone else… if you're needed somewhere else."

"What?" he asked.

"I just… I don't… I don't know…" She sighed. "Fine. I'm giving you responsibility for… my VIP patient."

Alex was utterly confused. "Okay… okay then."

She passed him a chart. Alex glanced down quickly at the chart, but curiously, there was no name for the patient. Not even a John or a Jane Doe.

"Too VIP to even have a name?" Alex asked with a slight laugh. Arizona didn't respond.

They made their way to the NICU and Alex didn't know what to expect. These were usually where Addie's patients were, not Arizona's… it didn't make sense.

"Newborn…" Arizona mumbled as Alex led her to an incubator at the other side of the room, slightly isolated.

Alex glanced down at the tiny little baby, a baby who could fit inside his two hands. He was slightly purple and didn't look to be very strong, but he was squirming slightly, and that told Alex that this little one was a fighter.

A fighter.

His eyes widened as the realization hit him.

He wasn't very big, and although he was just a few hours old, that face, those lips… they had looked familiar…

"He's a fighter just like his mom," Arizona mumbled as a tear slid down her face. Alex shook his head as he looked around the room. The only other patient was a three month old baby and a week old who he had treated just two days before. No other tiny little purple baby.

Alex didn't want to ask, but he knew he'd have to. "Where's… where's his sister?"

**What a meany I am ... I'm putting another chapter up to make up for the long wait I put you guys through !**


	56. Giving Up

**So this chapter is a bit different than all the other chapters. You'll notice quickly why. It's shorter and there is no dialogue, so it was a tougher one to write for me. It also doesn't change perspectives. Hope it doesn't bore you too much !**

_Lying sleepily in the on call room bed, Derek thought back on all the times he and Meredith had shared. The special moments that the two had lived, together and apart, but they had been shared no matter what. Since the moment Derek had met her eyes in Joe's that first night, he couldn't imagine a life without her. There was no life without her. He knew that, and still, he had nearly lost it all._

_She had definitely been a breath of fresh air, but more than that, she had been the force that pulled him out of from the deep cold dark waters that were drowning him. He had felt as if his life had been drowning him and Meredith, she had been that pull towards the surface._

_He scoffed at the comparison he had used. Drowning. As he thought about it, drowning was the thing that had torn them apart oh so many years ago. That had been his fault. And it didn't feel right anymore, since he had been the one drowning first. When he had drown, she had saved him. When she had drown, he had broken her. It made him feel… dirty._

_He shook the ugly thought out of his head. It didn't matter anymore. He and Meredith, they had made it passed all of that. Although he still couldn't completely understand how she had managed to forgive him for all the mistakes he had made, she had, and now, they were happy. More than happy. They were ecstatic, their life was on the right track. They were starting their own family, building a home. They had a wonderful family by their sides, and incredible friends there along the way. The people around them helped them move through all of this. They had helped them every step of the way. And that's when they realized that this might turn out easier than they had thought._

_Things had become wonderful between Derek and Meredith since that day on his land, when they had decided that it was time to build a home, to start this family. Sure, there had been its ups and its downs, but it was at that moment that they had realized that this was it. It was then that they had realized that they were spending forever together. Nothing could change the way the felt about each other. Not a misunderstanding, or an argument. Even a temporary disappearance didn't break them. That was proof enough that they weren't giving up on this. That this was in fact forever._

_Weren't giving up. This made Derek sob. He wasn't giving up. Not ever. He would never ever give up on Meredith or their little miracles. And although they had been through hell together, and he had given up in the past, he had always found his way back with Meredith's help. No, Meredith had led him back. He was thankful for that, because he had never felt so full as he did with Meredith's heart in the palm of his hands. _

_She had always been the light at the end of the tunnel. When things got bad with Addison, she was the one he would run to. Even though he had done it inconspicuously for the most part, just having her by his side helped him breathe easier. Seeing her smile, watching her fidget, hearing her rambles… it had helped him see things clearer. It was thanks to her that his life was no longer falling apart._

_Giving up. Not giving up. There was such a big difference between two small statements that seemed so similar, only having three letters difference. But that difference was more than just the difference between coffee and tea. Or white and whole wheat. The difference was… it was like the difference between dead and alive. And it this case, it was. If Meredith gave up…_

_Derek couldn't even dare to think about what would happen if she… no. She was not going to give up. He knew deep down in his heart that she wouldn't give up. They had come too far. She had come too far. It was not going to end like this. They still had a hundred years to live. Their lives had just started. It was too soon for them to end. Way too soon…_

_And as Derek thought about this, the dark thoughts took over. What if it did? What if this was the end?_

_They had had their share of magical moments. They had had their share of problems, of fights and arguments, of life changing experiences… they had had enough of these moments to last them a lifetime. And maybe that's why it had happened…_

_Maybe God had had this twisted plan all along. Let them live their lives together and let them experience everything within those first few years so that, what? It can end faster? It can all be pulled away since, in His mind, there is nothing left to experience?_

_That seemed hardly fair._

_They hadn't lived their lives to the fullest yet. They hadn't experienced all the moments, the joys, the wonders life had to offer them. There was so much more. There was so much more…_

_What about watching their children grow? Take their first steps, say their first words… brothers and sisters for their two little miracles. They needed to experience the first time they crawled into bed with them at night because they had a nightmare, or the first time they gave them a wet sloppy kiss and said 'I love you.' What about wiping their tears and cuts when their first time riding a bike didn't turn out the way they had planned? Or seeing them off to school for the first time, trying to hide their own tears at watching their babies grow up? And what about school plays, soccer games and dance classes? Letting them have their first sleepover at a friend's, taking them camping for a weekend, watching them learn how to fish and swim. And what about seeing their daughters off on their first dates, and watching their brothers get overprotective before a school dance? Watching them get through high school, long nights of studying, recovering from broken hearts… and before they knew it, it would be graduation. They'd all be crying, because it meant that time had gone by before they had the chance to even acknowledge it. They'd be off to university and college, off on their own. And then there would be engagement rings and wedding bells and soon enough, the cycle would be starting again and they'd be watching their babies go through this with their babies. There was so much left…_

_It wasn't fair. If whoever out there thought that it was Meredith's time to go, they didn't know what they were talking about. She was finally happy. She smiled at the mere thought of the future now, rather than cringe when she looked back. She had had a crappy past, but the beautiful painting of the future they had built together made her crappy past nothing more than a distant nightmare… it was almost as if she had lived it in another world. _

_The time was slowly ticking by. Every second ticked by slowly, finally becoming minutes. And the minutes, just as slowly, became hours… days. Or so it felt. Breathing became difficult, and he struggled to remind himself that he needed to keep breathing, it was the minimum he could do. He didn't need to do anything else. Breathing was the only obligation he had at that moment._

_Breathing and having hope that was. Loving. Believing. He needed to hope, love, believe and breathe. Listed like that, it sounded like a grocery list. Something to help him get in and out of the store a little faster. If only it made things a little faster. If it did, he wouldn't still be sitting here, waiting. _

_Waiting was the worst thing to do in life. You spend half of your life waiting for something, and when finally it arrives, you find yourself waiting for something else. You wait for your first day of school. When it finally arrives, you start waiting for the last day. You wait for your first love. When you find them, you end up waiting for things to go further. From a first kiss, to a first time, to an engagement, then a wedding… and then it's the whole family thing. You wait until you get pregnant, you wait until the baby is born, you wait until he or she is all grown… when did the waiting stop?_

_Derek figured it never stopped. There would always be something in your life you found yourself waiting for. It never really stopped. He just wished at this moment, the waiting would go by a little faster._

_After what seemed like a lifetime, the bright red lights on the clock in the corner of the room went from 5:59 to 6:00. Another hour had gone by, and still, he was waiting._

_He had given up all thoughts of sanity at this point. Nothing in his mind made sense anymore. He felt like he was slipping into this dark world where your mind was being controlled by miniature people in your brain. You didn't get to decide what you thought. The little people decided for you. Every action, every step you took, they were decided by the little people in your mind. Every thought… not your own. Nope, just the little people in your mind making the decisions for you._

_Derek laughed. He laughed. He truly wasn't making any sense anymore. But did he care? Life wasn't making sense! He wanted to laugh and cry all at once. Laugh at the insanity he was living, cry at the pain he was suffering. But what was the point? Laughing wasn't going to help him be any less sane. Crying wasn't going to fill the empty void in his heart…_

_He hit himself. He had to stop thinking like that, as if Meredith… there was still hope. Hope! That was one of the words on his life grocery list. Why couldn't he remember to have hope? Why was it so hard to stay focused on the positive? His mother had always told him that positivity would open doors for him in the future. And had it ever._

_When people in school had told him he wasn't smart enough to become a doctor, he shook his head and reminded himself that if you set your mind to it, anything is possible. When the kids in his class laughed at him because of his dorky glasses, braces and acne problems, he pushed the mocking aside and reminded himself it was just a faze, that he'd grow out of it. When his roommate in med school had gotten home and packed his bags because he couldn't handle the pressure anymore, Derek had reminded himself that if he didn't keep focused on his goal, than he obviously wouldn't get any further and that was definitely not what he wanted. When he started his internship and his chief at the time had told them that only a handful of them wouldn't crack under the pressure, Derek had told himself he would be among those few. And when he met a beautiful woman in a bar, after spending days thinking he had lost all hope in happiness and love, he found himself thinking that after a rough night, the sun will always rise in the morning, shedding new light and giving the world a new perspective. Positivity was what had gotten him through life. Why had he given up on it now?_

_He cursed himself for the little amount of hope he had. Why was it always easier to think of the worst case scenario, even though thinking the best made things easier, in a way? Was it because thinking of the worst didn't get your hopes up? Or was it because thinking of the best just didn't seem possible when the world was crumbling?_

_He had to try. He really needed to try harder. They had made it this far, even if all odds had been against them. And even if all odds were against them, beating the odds had sort of become their thing. They could survive this. Yeah, Meredith would survive this… wouldn't she? _

_Derek felt his heartbeat quicken. He watched as Miranda Bailey approached. His head started pounding. He closed his eyes. He didn't want to think about what she was about to tell him. He couldn't handle hearing that Meredith… his Meredith... that there was any chance that his Meredith didn't make it. He knew she was strong. He knew she was a fighter. But something… something told him that maybe she wasn't as strong as they had believed she was…_

_He opened his eyes slowly, hoping that this was all just a bad dream. Yeah, a bad dream. He would wake up, and Meredith would be sleeping, wrapped in his arms. His little miracles would still be safely in their mother's womb, and all of this nightmare would literally be just that; a nightmare._

_But it didn't matter how slowly Derek opened his eyes. Miranda Bailey was still heading his way, seemingly slower than normal. As if she was trying to prolong the wait before she had to pass on the news. And for her to have to wait to pass on the news… no, he refused to believe it._

"_Derek…" she mumbled once she was just feet away. Her eyes seemed to be filling with tears. "Derek, we did everything… I… I'm sorry…"_

_Derek was dumbstruck. "Wh… what?"_

_Miranda shook her head as she tried to hide the fact that she was crying. "They… they didn't make it… your daughter… and… and Meredith… they didn't… I'm sorry…" _


	57. Little Miracles

"_Derek…" she mumbled once she was just feet away. Her eyes seemed to be filling with tears. "Derek, we did everything… I… I'm sorry…"_

_Derek was dumbstruck. "Wh… what?"_

_Miranda shook her head as she tried to hide the fact that she was crying. "They… they didn't make it… your daughter… and… and Meredith… they didn't… I'm sorry…" _

"NO!" Derek screamed. This… this couldn't be happening. "You're lying! It's not true!"

"Derek!" a frantic voice called out. "Derek!"

Miranda Bailey's image became distant and Derek felt himself being shaken. What…? What was going on?

He slowly opened his eyes and found himself in a moderately dark on-call room, just like the one he was in seconds ago. But unlike what felt like just minutes before, he wasn't alone.

"Mom…" he blubbered as she sat down beside him, and he sat up on the small bed. He let himself crumble in his mother's arms.

"It was just a bad dream Der," she assured him calmly. "Meredith is going to be just fine."

Derek shook his head in Carolyn's shoulder. "I'm… I'm trying… I'm doing my best… to believe that… to believe that she'll be okay."

Carolyn rubbed her son's back. It had been a long day. And as the sun was setting outside, the waiting just seemed to prolong itself. But soon enough…

"We'll get news soon Derek. I can feel it."

Derek nodded slowly.

"Maybe we should go find the others. I'm sure they're wondering what's going on too."

Derek agreed and got up reluctantly. His legs weren't moving. He… he just couldn't move them.

"Baby steps Derek," Carolyn said as she placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Take it slowly. This time tomorrow, everything will be perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened at all."

Derek hoped to God she was right, even though he knew she was wrong. Something would have happened by then. Yeah, he would be the proud father of two beautiful little babies. Yeah…

Tomorrow, everything would be fine.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Miranda!" Mark exclaimed once Bailey was just feet away. "How… how is she?"

Miranda sighed. "Meredith's still in the OR. Addison's just-"

Lexie cut her off. "Hold up. OR?"

Miranda seemed slightly confused. "Yes, she was rushed into surgery after losing consciousness. Hasn't Derek come to talk to you guys?"

They all shook their heads. "We figured Derek was with you guys. Him and Carolyn." Mark explained.

Miranda shook her head. "You mean to tell me nobody has seen Derek in over two hours?"

"He's with mom," Amy started. "It's not like he was alone."

"I'm sure we're all very worried about Derek right now," Richard cut in, "but Meredith's situation is a little more fragile at the moment."

They all agreed and looked back expectantly at Miranda.

"As I was saying," she continued with a sigh, "Addison was just finishing up Meredith's surgery as I was leaving. She will be brought to the ICU to recover. We can't estimate at this point how long it will be before she wakes up."

They all took this in.

"And… how… what about the babies?" Izzie asked hesitantly.

"Their little boy was born with no major complications. 3 pounds 7 ounces. He is being cared for in the NICU."

"And… their daughter…?" Jackson spoke up.

Miranda sighed. "We had known there would be more issues with her since Meredith's surgery. She made it through the delivery and was immediately rushed into surgery. She has pulmonary valve stenosis. We'll be playing it day by day, hoping for a positive outcome."

It was very quiet. They all took this in with attention. They were all okay, for now. That was a good sign, right?

Miranda let a small smile slip. "They're both beautiful. Tiny and fragile, but beautiful. Their little girl is 3 pounds 1 ounce. And even though they are the tiniest little things I think I've seen, they already look like their parents. True Shepherd-Grey babies."

Small smiles found their ways to all of their faces.

Things would be okay. They could feel it.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Yang!"

Cristina spun around and immediately noticed Teddy coming towards her. She had a look on her face…

"Yeah?" Cristina asked as Teddy signaled for her to follow.

"How's Meredith doing?"

Cristina sighed. "Haven't heard anything for a while now… I wish I knew but…"

Teddy nodded silently as they continued their way through the hallways and onto the elevator.

"I… I wish there was some way I could help her, you know?"

Teddy nodded. "I understand the feeling."

They stayed quiet for a few seconds before Cristina decided to inquire. "Um, where are we going?"

Teddy looked over at her. "You want to get your mind off of everything?"

Cristina nodded. "You have no idea how good an escape would be right now."

Teddy smiled. "Patient has pulmonary valve stenosis. No other history. Just a baby. The chart didn't have any more details nor did anyone know anything. I'd even say this one is flying under the radar purposely."

Cristina smirked. "This sounds like it could be fun."

Teddy nodded as they got off of the elevator. "Diagnosis doesn't seem too too bad. I'd say this little one has quite the chance of survival if we do everything we can."

"Then that's what we'll do."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I'm proud of you Meredith."

Addison had personally wheeled Meredith to her room in the ICU, followed by Catherine as they got everything settled. She was alone in the room with her patient now, and although she knew she couldn't stay long, she wanted a few minutes to herself before checking up on her other patient. Her other very important patient.

She needed a few seconds to compose herself. She hadn't thought she'd make it through. The operation had been touch and go, and at one point, Addison had had the worst fear in her life. But things had gotten under control, and a lot of that was thanks to Miranda and her cool and composed attitude. Without Miranda, Addie didn't think any of them would have survived.

She let the few tears slip from her eyes, the ones she had been holding back. It was over. Well… not over over, but it was almost over. Addie could finally breathe a little. And she needed those few seconds to breathe.

She placed her hand on Meredith's, and smiled slightly when she noticed that Meredith already looked a little better than before she had gone into surgery. There was a little bit of color in her cheeks now. She wiped away a few lose tears with her free hand before letting a few more out.

"You scared me Meredith," she mumbled. "You… you were supposed to be strong, and none of that was supposed to happen that way. You didn't… you weren't supposed to scare me like that. That's… it's not a good thing… scaring your doctor like that. And your friends. And Derek… He's probably in one helluva shape right now. But… I'm just glad you're okay… and your babies… Meredith, they're beautiful. Your son, he's doing great considering all the circumstances. And your daughter… well she's going to be okay. She's looking better than I had expected. That's a good sign. And… and she's in surgery now… and I… I should probably go see her, make sure she's okay… and… yeah…"

Addie turned her head away, as if embarrassed, even though she knew Meredith couldn't really hear what she was saying. She got up slowly, and wiped away what was left of the tears on her cheeks.

"Oh… and Meredith… I love you… you know, like a little sister. And I worry about you. But everything's going to be okay now. I know it."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Miranda had left the group alone again, but at least they knew what was going on now. She needed to go and see if she could get any more details. She had promised to let them know if she heard any changes, and she headed off.

"I'm exhausted," Lexie let out a great big yawn as she cuddled into Mark's embrace. "I can't even imagine how tired Meredith and Derek… and even Addison… I can't…"

She closed her eyes over as she snuggled deeper into Mark's chest. He just chuckled slightly and kissed her on the forehead.

"It's been a long day," Mark said. "For everyone."

All the others nodded quietly. Nate was asleep in Amy's arms, and Izzie, Jackson, Dylan, Richard and Sam had all sort of found themselves in a comfortable silence.

"I wonder how Addie's doing," Richard mentioned. "We know that Meredith's okay now… but I wonder how Addison held up."

Sam nodded. "She'll be okay… I'm sure she'll make it through this."

"She didn't lose anyone," Mark also commented. "She'll be much better knowing that all of them are going to be just okay."

"But still…" Amy sighed, "it's got to be a lot to handle. I mean, Richard, could you imagine operating on Derek and not knowing whether he'll make it? Or Mark, operating on me and knowing the chances of there being complications involving comatose or even death were high? It's got its stress levels operating on someone close to you and knowing that the outcome could be devastating."

Everyone went even more silent. The only sounds were their heartbeats, steady breaths and Nathaniel's unconscious gurgles.

Mark was the first one to notice the two bodies coming slowly towards them, one seemingly having difficulty standing and walking forward without staggering.

"Derek…" he mumbled.

Everyone instantly turned and Sam and Richard both got up to aid Carolyn in helping her son forward. He seemed so broken… They had seen Derek broken, but Mark didn't think he had ever seen Derek so fragile and vulnerable looking. Even after the incident with Jackson nearly seven months before hadn't made him look this weak.

"They… she went unconscious… in my arms… and they… Addie and Miranda took her into surgery… and… I don't know…" Derek broke once again and Amy was soon at his side comforting him, sleeping Nate having found his new spot in Richard's arms.

"Derek, she's okay. Haven't you talked to Miranda?"

Derek looked up shocked. "No…"

Amy rubbed his back as Mark recounted everything Bailey had told them. "Your little boy is in the ICU, 3lbs 7oz. Your little girl is in surgery, but things are looking good. 3lbs 1oz. Addison was just finishing up with Meredith when Miranda came to talk to us. She's being brought to the ICU, but things are also looking very good for her too. It's going to be okay man."

Derek let the tears go freely, but they were no longer tears of pain or of loss. They were tears of joy, of happiness. Of hope.

"Oh thank goodness!" Carolyn said, and a small smile graced her lips. "Isn't that nice to hear?" she asked Derek.

Derek found himself smiling a tiny little bit too. "It's… oh God… I don't think I've ever heard anything as wonderful as… they're going to be okay… I…" Derek was out of ways to describe just how lucky he felt in that moment. Things were looking good. Things were going to be okay. There would be no loss today.

Light conversation brewed up, and Derek found himself joining in more and more as the mood lightened.

"What… what's wrong with Lexie?"

Lexie hadn't even fidgeted since she had fallen asleep. Not even Derek's arrival had waken her. Mark was slightly worried about her, but he brushed it off.

"She's just been worried for her big sister. She really worries about her… we all worry about her, but Lexie… it's like she can feel it in her… like she can feel what Meredith's going through and that's really tired her out."

Derek nodded, but wasn't quite convinced. "Is she going to be okay?"

Mark smiled as he looked down at his lovely fiancée. "Once this is all over, we'll all be okay."

"You should take her home once we know all the details," Carolyn commented. "I've already got enough people to worry about," she added with a small laugh.

"Everyone's going to be okay once we all recover from this," Jackson said matter-of-factly. And everyone agreed.

"Derek…"

Nobody had even seen him approach. Derek turned around to see Alex, someone he had gotten to know quite well over the years stand tall above him.

"Alex, we've gotten an update. Everything is good with Meredith and although our little girl is in surgery, her and her brother are going to be fine." Derek felt good passing on the information. Hearing it come out of his mouth made it all sound so real.

Alex let out a breath. "That's… It's wonderful," he said with a smile. "Arizona, she couldn't tell me what had happened to his twin, or his mother, and I knew it was him… from the moment I laid eyes on the tiny little… He looks like you, you know. Well more like Meredith, but also –"

Derek cut him off as he jumped from his seat. "Wha… what?"

Alex smiled, a sincere smile, one he didn't use very often other than with Izzie. "How would you like to meet your son?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"The poor thing…" Teddy whispered as she worked around the tiny little organs. "Can't be more than a few days old and already has to go through heart surgery."

Cristina shook her head. "It's terrible, isn't it?"

Teddy looked up from her patient only to meet Cristina's eyes. "What happened to you?"

Cristina seemed confused and slightly insulted. "What do you mean, 'what happened to me'?"

Teddy laughed at the expression on her favourite resident's face. "I didn't mean that in a bad way, so put down the gun. I meant, you used to be hard core and just not care. Now your hard core but you do care. It's just not something I'm used to."

Cristina shrugged. "I… I honestly don't know exactly how, or when… I just know that it feels good."

Teddy smiled. "It's because of Jackson, isn't it?"

Cristina let out a small laugh. "I guess. People seem to believe it… they've got me convinced."

"So, he's more than just a pretty face?" Teddy asked with a smirk on her face.

Cristina nodded. "Much more. Much, much more. I didn't think I'd ever feel like I do, but I do… and it's all been since Jackson."

Teddy smiled sadly. "It's good you've found someone who makes you feel this happy."

Cristina gaze Teddy a reassuring glance. "You'll be okay Teddy. I know it's hard, and that things are going to be tough, but you've got all of us here for you. And I know what it's like losing someone you love. Hell, I watched my father die in front of my own eyes, but that just made me stronger. Sure, it still hurts when I think about it, but it gets easier. And your little guy will have such a big family he or she won't know what hit them. You'll be fine. Both of you."

Teddy nodded. "We'll be fine…" she finished a stitch then looked down to her little patient's tiny little face. "Just like this little princess. We'll be fine."

They both turned at the sudden sound of the automatic door opening. Addison walked in with a mask on her face.

"How are things here? How is she?"

Cristina felt a sudden rush of… she didn't even know how to describe what it was… but she suddenly clued into what was happening.

"This… oh my god… this is… isn't it?"

Teddy had made the realization too, shortly after Cristina. She was stunned.

"You… you guys didn't know?" Addison seemed just as shocked.

Both surgeons shook their heads, but Cristina wanted to hit herself. How had it taken her that long? The baby was a newborn, whether it had been a few days or a few minutes. A little girl with health problems… heart issues more specifically. This was… this little girl was one of Meredith's little miracles.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Hey there little guy…" Derek whispered, as the tears of joy came flooding back, and a smile took over his face. This was… the feeling was inexplicable. There were just no words. All of his previous worries, everything just left his mind and all that mattered at that moment was this beautiful little baby boy in front of him. His son…

He… he was a dad.

The day had finally arrived where Derek Shepherd was a father. It seemed surreal. He had given up hope of being a father a long long long time ago. And now, a little miracle made of his own flesh and blood was here, sleeping soundly and peacefully in front of him. It was just…

Too amazing.

"I told you he looks like you, a little."

Derek laughed slightly at Alex's comment. He was right though. Although the little one had a few of his traits, his lips, his ears, that was definitely Meredith's little nose and facial structure. The hair on his head hadn't started growing yet, so they have to wait and see about that, and he still hadn't opened his eyes, so that was still a mystery too. But there was no doubt about it; this was definitely his and Meredith's little baby boy.

"He's…" Derek started.

"He's beautiful," Alex mumbled. "Just like his mother."

Derek knew what Alex meant. This wasn't some guy in a bar talking about Meredith being hot. This was someone who was like Meredith's brother. He had no worries, knew nothing was meant out of that comment other than what it stated perfectly clear. Meredith was beautiful and this little one had definitely inherited that.

"So how does it feel, Mr Dad?" Alex asked with a chuckle.

"It feels like nothing else in the world. It's just… when people say there are no words to describe it… I finally know what they mean."

Alex sat down beside Derek. Derek wasn't used to seeing this side of the resident. He knew he had a soft spot for the little ones, but he had never really had the chance to witness it with his own eyes. He was so used to the jerk ass-hole guy he had tried to make himself seem like in the past. And although it had improved over the last few months, Derek had never seen him quite this peaceful and taken away like he was in that moment.

"You and Izzie thinking about kids?" he asked, as he stroked his son's hand, the one that was about as big as his finger.

Alex shrugged. "It's been broached, especially since she's been working at the home. It's a possibility."

Derek nodded. "Aren't you glad you peed in that cup?"

Alex groaned, but laughed. "I am. I truly am."

Derek looked at the young man, straight into his eyes. "When you're in my position, and I ask you how it feels, you'll know what it means to have no words to describe the feeling. You'd make quite the amazing father."

Alex cringed slightly. "I… I didn't think so, when I had peed in the cup, I figured I'd make the worst father, and that my babies would turn out crappy because I had the crappy life, but…"

Derek nodded. "You saw Meredith go through it, crappy past and all, and it gave you hope."

"Yeah, it really did."

Derek smiled. "You know what it's like to have crappy parents, so you would never want that for your child. That's what makes people like you and Meredith such good parents."

Alex smiled, another one of those rare truly sincere smiles. "I think Meredith is like a beacon of hope for everyone."

Derek looked down at his son. "Yeah, she sort of is."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Carolyn had needed to breathe a little. She was so glad to hear that Meredith was okay, and seeing that hope back in her son's eyes was more reassuring than she had thought possible, but she was getting too old for all of this commotion.

Once Alex had taken Derek off to see his son, light conversation started up once again between the others. Their spirits lifted, their hope restored, everyone found it easier to breathe.

"I wonder how long it'll be before we can go see Meredith and the babies," Mark said as he glanced quickly down to Lexie who was still asleep. He was starting to get slightly worried about her.

"Once Derek has had the chance to see them and we know everything is okay, they'll probably let us visit," Izzie said with a smile. "But they're all okay, so that's good for now."

They all nodded.

Carolyn shook her head. "If Meredith or Lexie or Amy ever make me go through this again, I swear… I will probably strangle someone."

Most of them just let out small laughs or revealed shocked expressions at Carolyn's words, but Mark and Amy's reactions were different. Mark just looked down at his Lexie with a pained expression and pushed the loose hairs that had fallen out of her ponytail away from her eyes. Amy on the other hand…

"What do you mean, if I make you go through this again? I'm done! No more kids for me!"

Carolyn shook her head. "I will know when you are done. You're definitely not done."

Amy's face went pale as shock took over her body. What was her mother insinuating?

"Let's not worry about any of that until the time comes," Mark whispered. "Right now, Meredith is just getting out of a long and stressful seven months of pregnancy and complications. She needs us more than ever. Let's worry about her for a little while longer before moving on to someone else."

The others nodded.

Suddenly, Carolyn's phone started vibrating and she was quick to answer it. The others just watched, wondering who it could be this time.

"Hello?"

"Mom!" Three voices exclaimed at once. Carolyn tried to understand what her three daughters were asking, all at once, but it was nearly impossible.

"What in the world gave you guys the brilliant idea to all call at once. I have trouble enough understanding one of you at a time, let alone three!"

She looked around at the others who were all interested before switching to speaker, hoping someone would understand what her daughters were trying to say.

"I called Kath to see if she had heard anything else," Natalie explained.

"And Nancy came here with the kids as soon as she heard the news," Kathleen added.

"And we figured we'd be better off getting all of the updates together, rather than hearing modified versions from each other."

Carolyn shook her head with a smile. "Amy told you guys she'd update you when we got any news."

"We know," Nancy answered. "But it was taking forever!"

Amy laughed. "Well do you want your update?"

There were three impatient yeses before Mark took it upon himself to update the girls.

"Both little Shepherd babies have been welcomed to the world. Their little girl is in surgery last we heard, but from what we know, it's nothing to worry too much about. Derek is with his son at this very moment, and although both little ones are tiny, they should be just fine."

There was a short silence. "And what about Meredith?" Nat asked, almost afraid for an answer.

"She's okay, Still unconscious, but alive and well. Miranda came down to talk to us. She was rushed into surgery when she went unconscious in Derek's arms so Addie had to perform an emergency C-section. But things went well and all three of them will make it through this. They're all strong."

"How's Derek handling all this?"

"Derek was a mess," Carolyn spoke up. "When Meredith was rushed into surgery and we didn't hear anything… I've never seen him so broken. But when he found out that his little family was all okay… he's going to be okay."

"What a relief! Everything's okay. It's so great to hear that."

Mark laughed. "Don't we all know it."

Natalie was the first to come to the realization that Mark and Amy were also talking to them. "Mom, are we on speaker phone?"

Carolyn chuckled. "Yes hunny. I have trouble understanding all of you. Everyone here is getting a good kick out of the three of you."

"Thanks mom," Nancy answered and Carolyn could just picture her signature eye roll. "Well we should get going."

"Yeah," Kathleen agreed. "Get Derek or Meredith or someone to call us when they're up to it."

"Will do," Amy answered.

"Oh and tell Addison thank you from all of us. She's a life saver, literally."

Mark smiled. "Yeah, she is."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek's little boy was mesmerizing. He couldn't keep his eyes off of him. Alex had given him permission to take him out of the incubator for a little while before leaving to give the father and son a little bit of privacy.

Asleep in his arms, his little miracle was a beauty. The more and more he looked at him, the more and more he saw Meredith in him. Tears of joy filled his eyes. The only thing that would make this moment any better would be to have his girls at his side too.

The come and go of people in the NICU didn't distract him. Nothing tore his eyes off of the little boy in his arms. He could sit here for hours and just stare at him. It was… incredible.

"I can definitely see a little bit of Shepherd in him."

Derek just nodded and smiled as Addie took a seat beside him. "He looks so much more like a little Meredith though."

"I can predict it now. They'll both end up with beautiful curly blonde hair, instead of the Shepherd dark hair, but have your blue eyes."

Derek laughed and he finally tore his eyes away from his little boy and looked at his best friend. "Addie… I can't… I don't know how to thank you enough… you… I… there's no way to express how much… how thankful I am… you saved me Addie. You didn't just save Meredith and our little miracles. You saved me too. And there's no way I could ever… Addie, you're amazing."

Addie smiled as she took Derek's hand. Tears started forming in both of their eyes at the intensity of the emotion between them.

"I… I hadn't thought I'd be able to do it Derek… I froze… before going into surgery… I never freeze before surgery… the last time I froze before surgery… well, it was when Meredith was the patient. But this time… it was really bad Derek… the thoughts running through my head. The thoughts of "what ifs"… I couldn't move… it was probably the scariest moment in my life. Scarier than final exams in med school and our intern exam. Scarier than the day where you were operating on the same floor as the bomb… scarier than when you caught me with Mark…" she said more quietly. "I had never felt that fear… the fear that if I messed up, if something happened, I would lose everything, because I figured I would. And… and…" she burst into tears, which caught Derek by surprise.

"Addison…" he whispered as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "Everything's okay now… don't be scared anymore."

Addie shook violently, her sobbing was so strong. "She… I… Nathaniel… I couldn't imagine… I just couldn't… If I had of lost the babies… the thought of being able to love Nathaniel while I took everything from you… I… I just couldn't handle it… and… it killed me."

Derek hadn't ever seen Addie look so broken, and that was saying something. He had seen Addie broken, but this…

"I got sick Derek… I really got sick… Miranda… she had to fetch me a garbage can… have you ever gotten sick before a surgery? I mean… lately… have you…?"

Derek didn't know how to answer.

"That's how scared I was… the entire surgery… every time something beeped that shouldn't, I got jumpy… if it hadn't of been for Miranda… she's the one you should be thanking… not me."

Derek shook his head. "If it hadn't of been for _you_ Addie, Meredith and our little miracles wouldn't be here. Miranda will get her one thousand and one thank you's too, but Addie… you're the one who was strong even though you felt like you were going to crumble, all because you loved Meredith and those little ones. You're the one who had to make the decisions, even the tough ones. You're the one who had to save them."

Addie smiled. "I… I did, didn't I?"

Derek wiped away her tears. "Yes you did. And you don't know how much I love you right now."

Addie laughed quietly as she took the little boy from Derek's arms. "I love you too Derek, but I hope your visitors don't take that the wrong way."

Derek was confused. "Visitors?"

He half expected to see the crew that was waiting for an update to be standing at the door. But when he looked towards the entrance and there was no one there, he was confused.

"Addison's right, they do look like their mother."

Derek's head spun quickly as Meredith's beautiful voice filled his ears.

And in her arms slept a tiny little beautiful baby girl.

**Awwww (: Hope you guys aren't too mad for the delayed update, but y'all must be getting used to them by now, right ? Sorry ... P:**


	58. Thank You's

"_Addison's right, they do look like their mother."_

_Derek's head spun quickly as Meredith's beautiful voice filled his ears. _

_And in her arms slept a tiny little beautiful baby girl. _

"Meredith…" Derek whispered as he got up from his seat and took five very large steps before wrapping her tightly in his arms, making sure not to hurt her or the beautiful little princess in her arms. "Mer… you're…"

Meredith's smile was radiant. "I'm okay Derek. We're all okay."

Derek shook his head. "I knew you were okay, I knew it… I was going to say here… or awake… Meredith, now… we're more than okay."

He leaned down and kissed her passionately before she giggled.

"Not in front of the kids Derek," she said with the brightest of smiles.

Derek couldn't help but smile just as brightly. "They're eyes aren't even open yet… they'll know nothing," he added as he kissed her again before he continued. "How… when… you weren't awake yet… and she… she was in surgery…"

"Derek, you've been here for nearly two hours," Addie informed him. "After checking up on this little princess's surgery, I went back to Meredith's room only to find her awake. To see her awake so soon was a relief."

Derek nodded as Addie flashed back to just an hour earlier.

_After having taken in Teddy and Cristina surprise to finding out about their patient's true identity, she didn't know what to do. Her job was done. Or pretty much done. Minus a few check-ups here and there. But the worst of it was over and done with._

_And she didn't know what to do with herself anymore._

_She realized that the place she really wanted to be at that moment was at Meredith's bedside. She wanted to be there to make sure she wasn't alone when she woke up. They wanted to give her a few more hours before letting anyone go see her and although Derek was technically allowed to see her, and even more he was the chief so he could basically do whatever the hell he wanted, Addie didn't know just how stable he was right now, so she didn't want to have him overwhelm her. But she didn't want Meredith alone. _

_So that's where she would be._

_But when she opened the door to Meredith's room and she was welcomed with Meredith's open eyes, she was partly shocked, but mostly overjoyed._

"_Meredith!" she exclaimed as she rushed over and wrapped her arms around her patient. "Meredith, oh god. You have no idea how glad I am to see you awake."_

_Meredith giggled. "I'm glad that I'm awake too."_

_Addie took a seat in the chair she had just vacated. "How are you feeling?"_

_Meredith shrugged. "Other than being a little bit sore, I'm not too bad. Worried though…"_

"_Worried?" Addie asked._

"_What… how are the babies? I… I haven't gotten an update. The nurses wouldn't tell me anything."_

"_Oh Meredith! They're just… they're wonderful, to be honest."_

_Meredith's eyes lit up. "Really?"_

_Addie smiled. "We had expected the worst. So in comparison with our predictions, they are more than wonderful. Your little boy is in perfect health, well as perfect as any perfectly healthy premature baby," Meredith giggled as Addie rambled on, "and your little girl just made it through her surgery. She was great."_

"_Surgery?" Meredith asked, a little surprised._

"_We had figured she would need it…" Addie explained. "But from what her doctors told me, she was very strong throughout it all and never once did they have any fear that she wouldn't make it through."_

_Meredith smiled. "Her doctors… Teddy and Arizona? Or you and Teddy? Or…"_

_Addie smiled. "Teddy and Cristina."_

"_Cristina?"_

_Addie nodded. "They didn't know… they hadn't put two and two together… but that didn't stop them from doing their greatest. Your little girl will always be in great hands." _

"_They've been in great hands since the day their existence had been realized. You and Miranda… you guys have been incredible. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."_

_Addie smiled. "You know you don't…"_

"_Oh, but I do. And you won't stop me."_

_Addie giggled. "Fine."_

_Meredith was quiet for a few seconds, but when she spoke up, she had a very good purpose. "Addie, I want to see my babies."_

_Addie didn't know how to answer. She knew they weren't strong enough yet to be transported to often. But maybe…_

"_How strong are you feeling?"_

_Meredith seemed almost shocked. "What?"_

"_You said you wanted to see your babies. So, how strong do you feel?"_

_Meredith was stunned. "I… I figured you would tell me it's too soon… I didn't… I feel great Addie," Meredith answered, and Addie could tell by the way she said it and the look on her face that she could in fact handle a quick trip down to the NICU._

"_I'll go grab you a wheelchair."_

_Meredith nodded quickly and as soon as Addie had returned with said wheelchair, they were off and on their way up the maternity ward._

_The elevator had been empty when they entered it, and Addie was almost thankful for that. She wouldn't hear the end of it if someone were to hear that Meredith was awake and they hadn't had the chance to see her yet. But when they stopped on the OR floor and noticed who was entering, Meredith's day just got even better._

"_Meredith!" Cristina exclaimed as she pushed the small portable incubator into the elevator. "She's beautiful and her heart is as strong as can be!"_

"_Cristina," Meredith whispered, but her focus was on the little girl lying in the little bed. "I… she's… oh my… she's…"_

_Cristina and Addie both smiled at the emotion sketched on Meredith's face. Her eyes were glued to the little princess._

"_I'm just bringing her down to the NICU," Cristina said, to fill in the quiet._

"_That's where we're headed."_

_Meredith looked up at them. "Can… can I hold her?"_

_Cristina looked to Addie who hesitated, but then nodded. She'd have to be moved to another incubator anyway. And they were almost there anyway. It couldn't hurt._

_Cristina slipped the beautiful little baby out of the small tube and passed her gently to her mother. Meredith was in awe._

"_Hi there… I'm your mommy… and I absolutely and completely love you and your brother with all my heart."_

"_It looks like Derek has lost his spot as number one," Cristina mumbled and Addie laughed and nodded._

_The elevator opened and Cristina had promised to come see them soon before heading off in the other direction to put away the portable incubator._

"_Meredith, I want to go talk to Derek, let him know that he can some see you guys. Do you think you'll be alright alone with her for a little bit?"_

_Meredith looked up and nodded quickly. "Tell Derek that she's beautiful. Oh my gosh! I'll get to see my little boy too, won't I?"_

_Addie giggled at the expression on Meredith's face. "Yes you will… he's in the NICU right now."_

_Meredith couldn't hide the excitement. They would be reunited as a family again._

_When they turned the corner and took a glimpse into the NICU, they both noticed right away that Derek was off in a corner, a little boy in his arms._

"_That's him, isn't it?" Meredith said excitedly. "That's our little boy…"_

_Addie smiled and nodded. "I can take you in and go… give you guys some privacy."_

_Meredith shook her head. "You said you wanted to talk to him. You go talk to him. You can bring me and my little princess in our own little corner and you'll get to talk to Derek. With that precious little boy in his arms, he won't even notice my presence. And I wouldn't blame him."_

_Addie laughed. "Thank you. And I'll make it quick."_

"_Take all the time you need."_

Addie returned to the present as the little Shepherd baby stirred in her arms.

"I… everything is perfect now," Derek mumbled as he kneeled down and kissed his little girl's head. He then looked up into Meredith's eyes and saw that they were as bright as could be.

"It is… it's perfect," Meredith agreed as she grabbed Derek's hand. She looked down at her little princess, than over to her little boy, before looking up to Addison. "I was going to make some comment, or joke about how I should be jealous and tell Derek that I thought he loved me, but it just wasn't worth it… because I love you too Addie. Everything Derek said, it's absolutely true. You saved all of us. And I just wanted to say that I've never been more thankful than at this very moment that you happened to be there, that one day, when all of this started. You're definitely the big sister I always wished I had."

Addie smiled as tears started to build up. "I love you too. All of you."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Mark was sitting quietly with Carolyn, Richard and a Lexie who was still fast asleep. She was looking very pale and Mark finally admitted to himself that there was something wrong. He feared that whatever was up with Lexie was more than just stress. He had this very bad feeling that she was sick, and not just the flu sick. It was something more… he just wished he could place it.

Jackson, Dylan and Amy had gone for more coffee and Izzie had gone to make a few phone calls. Nathaniel had woken up and had gotten a bit upset because he wasn't at home, so Sam had excused himself and had headed up to Addie's office, which Addie had given him the extra key for.

Richard had finally been the first to speak up, the quiet a little overwhelming. "I'm going to go check on my patients quickly. I'll be back soon."

Carolyn and Mark nodded, as Richard headed down towards the elevator. Just as he was about to hit the button, the hospital suddenly got a whole lot brighter.

"The power!" Carolyn exclaimed. "It's back on!"

They could hear the excitement of the other people who weren't too far away.

"That definitely brightened my day," Mark said with a laugh.

Carolyn just chuckled and rolled her eyes.

Mark looked back down to Lexie, who stirred a little bit, but did not wake.

"She'll be okay Mark," Carolyn said as she rested her hand on his shoulder.

Mark nodded and looked up, but before he was able to catch his mother's eye, he noticed quite the bizarre scene.

"Is Cristina… skipping?"

Carolyn spun around and she too noticed the young woman coming down the hall… skipping.

"Yang? What's gotten into you?"

Cristina looked over to the three of them. Well, the two of them, since Lexie wasn't really there.

"I just helped save a life."

Mark laughed. "Cristina, we're doctors. We do that on a daily bases."

"Yeah, but I just helped save a little miracle. The perfect little miracle."

Both Mark and Carolyn's eyes grew ten sizes.

"I'm a baby Shepherd saver," Cristina said proudly.

"She's okay? My little granddaughter is okay?"

Cristina nodded. "Yes she is she just perfect. She's upstairs in the NICU with Meredith and Addie."

"Wait. Meredith's awake?"

Cristina nodded. "Awake and up and out of bed."

They were visibly excited. "How soon can we go see them?"

Cristina stopped and looked back and forth between the two anxious looking faces. "I guess if it's just the three of you…" She paused and took one look at Lexie before giving Mark a worried glance. "Is she okay? I mean… we're doctors and as a doctor, I'd have to say she doesn't look too good."

Mark sighed. "I don't know… but if she doesn't get better… I sound like Derek, don't I?"

Cristina nodded. "At least it shows that you care."

"So can we go? Please?" Carolyn asked as she started to stand. "We'll be very calm and not overwhelming…"

Cristina laughed. "Fine. Follow me."

Mark smiled. "I'll catch up in a few minutes."

The two women nodded and headed off.

Mark looked back down to Lexie before leaning down and kissing her on the forehead, then on the lips.

"Lexie sweetheart. Time to wake up…"

Lexie stirred for a few seconds, then finally opened her eyes. "Where… where am I? And what's going on?"

"We're in the lobby at the hospital…"

Lexie suddenly shot up. "Oh my goodness! Meredith! Is she okay?"

"Do you want to go see for yourself?"

Lexie nodded quickly as they got up and headed in the direction that Cristina and Carolyn had just gone in.

But now that Mark didn't have to worry about Meredith anymore, it was Lexie that worried him.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"The power!" Meredith exclaimed as the NICU lit up. "It's back!"

"The perfect ending to a perfect day," Derek said with a smile.

"Yeah…" Meredith whispered as she looked into the small incubator at her even smaller little princess. She quickly glanced over a few feet, to the incubator beside her as her little boy squirmed around. Derek's arm was wrapped around her waist and she leaned into him as they lived in the most perfect moment.

"Although you guys are great company and all, I feel like I'm a little out of place," Addie said with a laugh as she got up from her seat after evaluating both of the little Shepherd's current stats. "I'll be back later to check on all of you."

"Addie, you don't have to go…" Meredith said as she looked up to her.

Addie smiled. "Now that I am sure you guys are all okay, I finally feel like I can breathe. And now that I know that your little family is okay, I want to go check on mine."

Meredith nodded, knowing exactly what she meant, how she felt. She needed to see her little boy too.

Derek and Meredith just sat there, tangled together as they watched their little miracles sleep peacefully.

"I can't believe this is all real," Meredith whispered as Derek kissed her head lightly.

"I know… it feels like the world's best dream at this very moment. I feel like if I move, it's all going to go away."

Meredith giggled and pinched Derek lightly.

"Ow!" he exclaimed quietly. "What was that for?"

"To show you that you weren't actually dreaming, and that you'll never awake from this beautiful feeling because you can't wake up if you're not actually sleeping."

Derek chuckled as he held her tighter. "I love you so much right now."

Meredith nodded. "Yeah me too."

Derek just ran his hands through her hair as they both went back to starring at their beautiful little miracles.

"Our little miracles," Meredith whispered, her voice filled with emotion.

"Our little miracles," Derek agreed, tears threatening to spill out.

The sound of the NICU door opening didn't distract them the least bit from the moment. But the sound of Cristina's voice made them conscious of their surroundings, and made them realize that they were no longer alone.

"I brought some impatient visitors," Cristina announced.

Meredith and Derek turned and smiled brightly when they noticed the four people who had come to join them.

"Meredith! You scared the hell out of us!" Mark said as he wrapped her lightly in his arms.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Lexie then exclaimed as she too gave Meredith a quick hug. "Don't ever scare us like that again. You're making me go old and gray and I'm not old enough for that yet."

Meredith laughed. "I'll do my best."

"Oh Meredith hunny," Carolyn was the last one to embrace her. "It's so good to see you looking so well. And up and on the go on top of that. You're so strong…"

Meredith smiled. "So I've been told, many times."

Derek finally spoke up as the small crew talked about how happy they were that Meredith was okay. "Okay okay… let's give Meredith a little bit of space," he said with a laugh. Meredith smiled in his direction and mouthed a quick thank you. "Now, we want you to meet a few people."

Their faces all turned towards Derek, and they finally noticed the two little babies sleeping soundly behind the happy couple.

"Aww," they all cooed as Derek and Meredith laughed. Cristina just rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but letting out an enormous smile at the scene unfolding before her.

"Everyone, we'd like you to meet Keegan William Shepherd…" Derek started.

"… and Kelsey Maddison-Faith Shepherd," Meredith finished.

"What adorable names!" Lexie exclaimed as she smiled down at the little boy before her.

"You guys make some pretty cute kids," Cristina commented, before finally hugging her person. "You're amazing Mer. I just hope to be as amazing as you someday."

Meredith smiled at her person. "You already are."

Cristina smiled, just as her pager went off. "I wish I could stay but…"

"Duty calls," Meredith said with a wink. "I understand."

Cristina smiled to her best friend before running off.

"These little ones are the most precious things I've ever seen," Mark said as he placed his finger in Keegan's little hand. "You're going to be so spoiled by your favorite Uncle Mark and Auntie Lexie."

Derek laughed. "Make that spoiled by his godparents."

Both of their heads shot up. "Godparents?" Lexie asked, shocked.

Meredith nodded. "We want the two of you to be Keegan's godparents. If you want to, that is.."

"Of course we do!" Mark exclaimed. "We'd be honored!"

Derek and Meredith laughed. "We figured you wouldn't mind."

Lexie seemed taken aback.

"You okay Lex?" Meredith asked.

"Huh? Yeah… It's just… I guess, I hadn't expected it… I mean, sure we've been getting closer, but… it just seemed as if… I don't know… I just hadn't thought you'd pick me…"

Meredith smiled as she took her little sister's hand. "You're my little sister Lex. And having to pick between you and Cristina was one of the most difficult things I had to do. But Lexie, you're the perfect person for the job, and although Cristina is great too, you're just as amazing, if not more. But don't tell her I said that," she finished with a laugh.

Lexie wiped away a few lose tears before giving Meredith a perplexed look. "Wait… if Cristina isn't a godmother… then who are Kelsey's godparents?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

As she left the NICU, Addie let out an enormous breathe and closed her eyes.

_Everything's okay…_

She felt like she needed to be alone for a little bit. She needed to go over everything in her head. She wanted to go home, be with her little boy and her fiancé, but she knew the hospital and her patients needed her right now. But in a few days…

In a few days, she'd be able to go home, and stay home. She'd be able to spend as much time with her little Nathaniel as she wanted. She wouldn't have to worry about patients, or surgeries. She would, of course, worry about Meredith, but not in a doctor way. In a friend way, a sisterly way.

But Meredith didn't need to be worried about anymore. She was okay now, she was going to stay okay. Addison could stop worrying and just breathe.

She opened her office door and was quite surprised when she found Sam sitting on the small couch, Nate cradled in his arms.

"Sam! What… what are you doing here?"

Sam smiled as he got up to greet Addie and bring her in for a quick hug. He then passed her Nathaniel and the smile that spread across her face was the most beautiful smile he had ever seen.

"Hey there," she whispered to her little baby boy. "I just want you to know I love you with all my heart. You know that right? Nothing will ever change that. Nothing."

Sam sat back down on the couch and when Addie joined him, he rested his arm over her shoulders.

"How are Meredith and the babies? Everything went okay?"

Addie looked up from her sleeping son. She looked Sam in the eye and nodded.

"Everything… it went great. So much better than we had expected. Both of the little ones are good, and Meredith is awake, with Derek and the babies right now. Although the day didn't start off very good, it's ending was more than anyone could ask for."

Sam glanced at his watch. "It's 10:14. I think I'm going to head home to get this little guy to bed. You coming too?"

Addie thought about, and how great that sounded. And technically, she wasn't really working right now…

"I'm just going to go check on Meredith one last time, make sure everything is okay. I'll meet you in the lobby."

Sam grabbed Nathaniel's bag and looked at Addie. "You think I might be able to sneak a quick visit before we go?"

Addie laughed. "I'm sure it wouldn't hurt." She looked down at her little boy. "Let's go meet your new best friend."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

It wasn't long before the NICU became slightly more overcrowded than it should be, and that worrisome thoughts had dissipated from everyone's minds. After Cristina had run off, Alex had come in quickly to check on his patient, and was surprised to note that Meredith was now amongst them. Soon after him, Richard, Amy and Miranda had arrived, and then Izzie, Jackson and Dylan, who had happened to run into Alex in the hallway and heard that Meredith was awake.

"Meredith!" Amy had exclaimed when she nearly sprinted across the small room and took Meredith into her arms. "Oh Meredith! We've all been so worried about you! You've put us through more stress than I think I've ever gone through. And the sisters… I don't even want to go there! They have to worry about you from across the country! You need to call them, or get Derek to call them… they want to hear from you guys that you're okay! And, Oh, My, Goodness!" she exclaimed again as she noticed the two little babies side by side in their incubators. "They are the most… They're precious!"

Once Amy's attention had shifted from Meredith to the babies, Richard gave her a light squeeze and a kiss on the top of the head. "I'm proud of you Meredith. And although I have a feeling you won't believe me, I bet you your mother would have been proud of you."

Meredith seemed skeptical. "I don't know about that…"

Richard shook his head. "Your mother was incredible at most things, but if there was one thing she failed to be good at was being a good mother. You can do all the things she could, plus be a good mother and an amazing wife. She may have put on a tough shell to make it seem like she didn't care, but deep down… she would have been proud of you, of your strength."

Meredith smiled. "I want to think she's watching over us. I really do."

Richard winked before going over to congratulate the new father. It was Miranda's turn to see Meredith with her own eyes, to process the fact that she was in fact sitting there in front of her, healing, but alive and well.

"Meredith…" she mumbled as she grabbed Meredith's hand. "You've scared the crap out of me before in your life, a few times actually, but never have I been as scared as I was in that OR."

Meredith squeezed her old resident's hand. "From what I've heard you were the strong one."

Miranda let out a small laugh. "I have made myself a tough shell. But on the inside Meredith… you have no idea how broken I felt, how the thought of you… not making it… how it made me want to cry the hardest I've ever cried. And that's saying something," she said as a tear escaped the corner of her eye.

"I'm okay Miranda," Meredith said in a reassuring whisper. "We're all okay."

Izzie's, Jackson's, Catherine's, even Dylan's reactions were much the same. Arizona had come in quickly, only to let out a laugh at the crowd, check on another one of her patient's, and leave again. But not before sending a quick smile Meredith's way and a friendly wink.

It was Addie's reaction that had been more worth being there.

"You just seem to be getting more and more popular Ms. Shepherd."

Meredith looked up to Addie with a playful, yet evil glare. "That's still Dr Shepherd to you."

Addie rolled her eyes with a laugh. "I snuck someone in… well snuck a few people in to see you."

That's when she noticed Sam and Nate standing a little ways off into the distance, behind the crowd.

"I'd love to chat…" Meredith said, as she looked around at all the others in the room, "but could I ask you a favor first?"

Addie nodded. "Of course. Yes, anything."

"Could you maybe, politely, see if you can maybe clear this place…"

Addison cut her off with a laugh. "I figured you'd ask sooner or later." She looked around the room. "Okay, listen up! Visiting hours are over. Besides, don't a bunch of doctors have work to do?"

"What?" she heard a lot of complaints as she kicked them all out. "Why?"

"Because the new mom asked me politely to get your asses out. Politely."

Miranda laughed as she helped clear the room. "I'll make sure they get back to work and that they don't cause any trouble." She turned around and Addison heard her mumble under her breath. "What a bunch of over grown children."

Addie laughed and turned back to the room that was now empty, minus Derek, Meredith, the twins, Sam, Nathaniel, Carolyn and a few other babies and nurses.

"How's that?" Addie asked Meredith.

Meredith let out a laugh. "Much better thank you."

"My pleasure," Addie answered with a smirk.

"It's great to see with our own eyes that you're okay Meredith," Sam said as he leaned down to give her a hug, after having passed Nathaniel over to Derek. "If I had been half as strong as you are in my life, I wouldn't be the same man. But I wanted to thank you for showing me that it's never too late to find your own strength. You've made me a stronger person, just by watching you go through all of this, it's made of me a stronger a man."

Meredith smiled as she took Sam's hand. "Thank you. I don't know how many times I'm going to need to thank you. You may not be a doctor like the rest of them, but you still saved my life, saved my babies lives. That I'll be forever grateful for."

They shared a quick smile before they heard Nate stir in Derek's arms.

"I think Nathaniel here wants to meet his new best friends," Addie said as the baby was passed onto her.

She went over to Keegan first, imagining the friendship that the two boys, similar in age and children of best friends, would have throughout their lives. They'd grow up together, from diapers to diplomas, and all of them hoped that they would have a friendship like no other.

"I can see it know," Derek mumbled. "Keegan and Nathaniel. They'll be the best of friends. They're going to go to school together, play sports together, we'll take them fishing together," he said as he glanced over to Sam with a smirk.

"They'll go on dates together, maybe even fight over girls," Meredith said with a laugh.

"Let's not think about that just yet," Sam said as he too let out a small chuckle.

Meredith shifted her attention from where the group all was and looked down at her little girl. "Don't worry," she said as she stroked the little girls hand with her finger. "You'll find your best friend too. Maybe Miranda will have a girl, or Teddy… Lexie will end up pregnant. Maybe if we ask really nicely, she'll have a girl for us," she finished with a laugh.

"And your brother and Nathaniel will love you too," Addie said as she stood behind Meredith and smiled. "You'll be well loved by everyone."

Meredith turned around to face Addison. "We named her after you," she said with a smile. "Kelsey Maddison-Faith Shepherd. Maddison symbolizing strength, but mostly because if it weren't for you, she wouldn't be here. You've done so much, it's only right."

Addison was overwhelmed. She had tears building in her eyes. When the first one slipped, she finally came back to her senses and wiped it away. "I… I don't… I don't know what to say… Meredith… You're… I'm… Wow."

"It's a permanent thank you. You'll never get out of them now, and I'll never stop thanking you."

"We also want you two to be her godparents," Derek said, which caused Addie to go slightly unbalanced.

"You… what?"

"Godparents," Meredith said with a laugh. "We want you and Sam to be godparents."

"Oh… my…" Addie was speechless. She couldn't manage to form a single coherent word.

"We'd… we'd love to," Sam said as he brought Meredith in for another hug. "And Addie says she's absolutely gone nuts, but is honored."

Meredith and Derek laughed as Addie hit him. "I can speak for myself," she said, finally finding her words. "I'm … I am honored. I'm more than honored. I… there's no words."

Meredith smiled up to Derek. "Told you she would be speechless. You owe me twenty bucks."


	59. Love and war

"What a day," Cristina sighed as she fell onto one of the on-call room bed's. "I can honestly say I've never had a day quite like it. It's…wow."

Jackson smiled as he too dropped himself down on the bed and wrapped Cristina in his arms. "Makes you want to have your own kids, doesn't it?" he said, sarcasm clear in his voice. With the crap Meredith had gone through, he figured that would have been enough to run Cristina off.

"It does," she answered sincerely and Jackson let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Seeing that love … I want that someday…"

Jackson leaned in and left Cristina with the most passionate of kisses. "You… you really want this?"

Cristina smiled. "I… I do."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Richard!" Adele exclaimed into the phone. "Oh dear, I heard about everything happening at the hospital. How is Meredith? Is she okay? How are the babies? Are they born yet? Are they okay?"

Richard let out a quick laugh. "All of them are fine. Truly fine. Meredith and Derek are in the NICU with the babies right now. They're going to be okay."

Adele squealed with delight. "I'll be by in the morning for a visit. I take it you'll be spending your night at the hospital?"

Richard knew that Adele understood now. Now that he wasn't spending all his time in the hospital, the few nights he did Adele didn't mind. It made him smile, thinking about how things had changed. "I'm needed tonight, with all the repercussions from the storm and the power outage, and the fact that the actual chief is a little tied up right now…" Adele nodded, even though Richard couldn't see her.

"Is Derek taking some time off to be with Meredith and the babies?" Richard knew the answer to that question. And in that moment, he and Derek were the only ones. But Adele… "Yes, he will be, since it's going to be a lot to handle, he figured it would be a good idea, easier on Meredith too."

Adele smiled. "Good. At least he has his priorities straight. Does that mean you'll be acting chief?"

Richard smiled. This question, he knew he couldn't answer. "We'll talk about that later. Right now though… Do you realize that we've just become grandparents?"

Adele laughed. "I guess we have. Or as close as we'll ever be."

Richard smiled. "I love you, you know that, right?"

It was Adele's turn to smile. She didn't hear it very often, but she had always known it. "I do, and I love you too Richard."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX "What a beautiful day," Derek said as him and Meredith watched their little ones sleep peacefully.

"I'm sure the weather man wouldn't agree with you but…" Derek let out a small laugh.

"You know what I meant."

Meredith nodded. "I do, and I agree. Even though it hadn't turned out how we had planned, it was a beautiful day in the end, wasn't it?"

Derek let out a breath. "It may have been the scariest day of my entire life, but in the end… It's always the end of the day that makes it a beautiful one."

Meredith nodded. They were quiet, just taking in the moment. They didn't need to say anything. They just needed to be in the moment. "We never finished our little game…" Meredith said with a smile.

"Our game?"

Meredith nodded. "Your top ten days. You were missing one."

Derek laughed. "That's easy. Today. Today would have to be in my top ten days. The day we were finally able to meet our children. The day where all me fears from the past months disappeared. The day our family was finally reunited. I'd have to say it's coming close to being my number one day."

Meredith laughed. "I guess I saw that one coming," she said with a yawn. Derek smiled as he lifted Meredith up and set her back down in her wheelchair.

"I think it's time you call it a night Mer."

Meredith nodded. "I think I have to agree with you there." She took one last look over towards Kelsey and Keenan. "Goodnight my loves," she whispered as she rested her hands on top of theirs. "Sweet dreams."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The car was eerily silent. No one said a word. It may have something to do with the argument they had just had. No, it did have something to do with the argument they had just had. But neither one of them would accept the fact that maybe the other one was right.

Mark had approached Lexie with his fear that she wasn't okay before they had left the hospital. He wanted her to get checked out. She laughed it off and said that now that Meredith was okay, she would get over whatever she had. Mark saw that, as much as Lexie believed it, her expression and the look in her eyes said otherwise. She was still very pale, and her eyes were heavier and almost lifeless.

It was because he loves her that he got angry. He didn't want something bad to happen. But Lexie was stubborn and wouldn't let herself be dragged into an exam room for a checkup. She was fine, and suddenly, she was getting frustrated with Mark for thinking she didn't know what she was talking about.

So they sat there. In silence. Mark thought about how this was tearing them. Less than two months before the wedding on top of that. He didn't need this right now. Something was going on in Lexie's head too, and he was upset that she wouldn't tell him. He didn't know if he could handle this right now.

Lexie however, tried thinking about why Mark would suddenly think she was sick. Yes, she had been caught throwing up, but the stress of what Meredith was going through was enough to give reasoning to that. She had been more tired than usual, and when she had looked herself in the mirror that day while washing her hands, she had to admit she did look paler than normal. But Meredith…

And now, Mark wouldn't even look at her. He didn't take her hand in the lobby to walk out to the car like usual. And he definitely hadn't reached out for her during the ride home. He was always looking for some way to touch her when they were driving. Either he would hold her hand between them, or rest his hand on her thigh, or even stretch out his arms around the back of her chair. But right now…Nothing.

It worried her that maybe this was going to do more damage to them than she let herself believe. Maybe this was going to put a gap between them. But she wasn't letting herself be bullied by him. She didn't see that the reason he wanted her to get checked out, to make sure she was okay was because he was scared. He didn't want to be put in Derek's position and fear that he was going to lose the love of his life. She just thought he was doing it because he wanted to prove himself and because he didn't think she was able to take care of herself. And this made her angry.

But his words_ I don't know if I can do this right now_ stung and Lexi didn't know how to take them. What if… what if this did cause them to crash? It sounded stupid, a petty argument. But to both of them, this was more than what it seemed.

Lexie suddenly felt like she was going to be sick.

"Pull over," she said as she clutched her stomach.

He did immediately, knowing the expression on her face. He pulled into the parking lot of the pharmacy they had been driving by and he had barely stopped when Lexie opened the door and jumped out. She had made it to the edge of the building and emptied the contents of her stomach into the garbage can. She jumped when she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.

"Lexie, I-"

"Don't Mark," she said, before even giving him a chance. "I don't want to hear an 'I told you so' or 'see?' I can take care of myself. I don't need you-"

Mark's heart snapped as he heard those four little words, even though it's not at all what Lexie was meaning to say. It was him who hadn't let her finish this time around.

"Fine. I'll… I'm going to the car."

He left her, not giving her the chance to say anything else. Frustrated, Lexie stormed into the pharmacy in search for something to maybe ease the vomit a little.

She was in for quite the discovery.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Meredith and the babies are fine."

Cory laughed as Natalie dropped down into bed, exhausted from the day of not knowing what to expect and fear of not hearing everything all the time. She needed to stay on top of it all and being on the other side of the country made that hard.

"That's good to hear. Now, it's two in the morning and you need some sleep. You've been in quite the shape all day."

Natalie let out a yawn as she snuggled into her husband's chest. "I was worried about Meredith! She really has become like one of the sisters… You can't blame me for being afraid for her!"

Cory kissed the top of her head. "I know, and I understand. But she's okay now, so sleep."

Natalie nodded and just as she relaxed, a thought occurred. "Oh Cory, I've been so busy today with everything, I didn't even ask you how your day was!"

Cory let out a sigh, but laughed as Natalie spun around in his arms so she was facing him. "I had a very interesting day but it can wait t'il the morning hun."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Technically, it is morning. I can handle it."

Cory smiled as he pulled her in for a quick kiss. "Well…" he started, and Natalie could see his hesitation, "I found out today that I have conference that I need to attend soon."

"When?" Natalie asked, not liking the look on his face.

Cory cowered a bit. "Thanksgiving weekend…"

Natalie shot him a look. "What?! First mom and Amy, now you? I guess we'll just stay here and order a pizza or something cause I don't-"

"Wait wait wait!" Cory exclaimed with a laugh. "I want you and the kids to come with me. Make it a family trip."

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Unless it's Florida or something, I don't think the kids will be to happy to leave their friends on thanksgiving weekend."

Cory smirked. "I promise, it's better than Florida."

Natalie no longer understood.

"Better than Florida? You're not leaving the country are you?"

Cory shook his head.

"What would be better than Florida in the US? Don't say Arkansas or something because I swear –"

"What are your thoughts about Seattle?"

"Seattle? Sea-" Natalie, in the midst of her exhaustion, finally caught it. "Oh my goodness! Seattle! Meredith and Derek! And the babies! And everyone! And-"

"We'll talk more in the morning," Cory said with a laugh."That is, if you remember any of this in the morning."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Izzie?" Alex said as he walked into the cafeteria. The nurse Izzie had been talking to said a quick goodbye and was gone. "What are you doing here? And who was that?"

"Wendy. She volunteers some of her time at the home. And I thought I'd say goodnight before I left."

Alex smiled. "I was actually going to catch maybe a few hours of sleep. It's pretty slow since the whole Meredith fiasco. I thought I'd take advantage."

Izzie smiled. "That's probably a good idea. You must be tired too. Everyone must be tired after today."

Alex nodded. "I am. I really am. But…"

Izzie raised her eyebrow. "But?"

Alex sat beside her, and Izzie could tell he was having a hard time dealing with something.

"Alex… whatever it is…"

He nodded. "I… I… today brought back some… it made me think of… Derek's fear of losing Meredith today reminded me of my own fear… when I was losing you. I… I can feel what Derek felt today… because I've already had to. I don't… the thought of you disappearing again… whether it be because you're sick, or because you just disappear… I don't think I can handle that. And being put as an outsider today in that situation… it really made me realize how much I love you. How much I need you. So Izzie, please, please don't even make me feel like I'm going to lose you ever again. It's just too much and I love you too much. Please…"

Izzie could see the buildup of tears in Alex's eyes. It made a few of her own fall. "I'll do my absolute very best. But I promise that I will never hurt you like I did if it's under my control. I'm not going anywhere." She leaned in over the table and left him with a short, but sweet kiss.

"Good. And now I want you to stay with me in an on-call room tonight so I can wrap you in my arms and never let go." Izzie laughed.

"It's been a long time since I've had a rendez-vous in an on-call room."

At this point, Alex was standing and offering her his hand. "I don't ever want you to let go," he whispered as they made their way to the closest on-call room. They both fell asleep quickly, exactly how they had wanted; wrapped tightly in the others arms.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"He's finally asleep," Addison whispered as she walked into hers and Sam's bedroom. Sam had offered to put Nathaniel to bed so that Addie could get as much sleep as possible, but she insisted, wanting to spend as much time at her little boy's side as possible. Especially after today.

Sam nodded as he sat up and motioned for Addie to join him. She sat down next to him and he pulled her as close to him as possible.

"You've put on a brave face Addison Montgomery. It's time you let your walls down and feel what you've been putting aside."

"I…" she wanted to say she was alright, that she was fine, but her emotions bet her to it. Tears were streaking from her eyes before she could stop them. She just rested her head against Sam's chest as he rubbed her back soothingly. He knew she needed this.

"I…I've been the one telling her to be strong… I've been the… I've stayed positive most of this journey and even… even when things got tougher and most people… and any normal friend would have cracked, I couldn't… I knew I couldn't because I… she needed me as more than a friend, she needed me to be her doctor… and today… I didn't… I didn't think I could do it. I thought… I was sure I was… and I… I…" she couldn't say anything more as she blubbered into Sam's chest.

"Addison…" Sam whispered softly. "You did great and because of you, Meredith and the babies are perfectly fine. You did everything even though you were breaking inside. And you're allowed to cry. There's no one stopping you. You're allowed to let your walls down, and never ever be afraid to do that around me. I love you, and if I could, I think I love you even more when you're vulnerable because it shows that you really care about the people who have become like your family. I didn't know this side of you when we started off and now… You're beautiful when you show this side of you Addie. Never hide this, especially from me. I love you so much."

Addie wiped away a few lose tears and smiled a small smile. "I love you too Sam."

Sam nodded. "I know. And right now, you need to sleep. I have a feeling that although you say it's over…"

"It's far from over," Addie said, understanding what Sam what getting at. This wasn't even close to the end for her.

"Goodnight love. Sleep tight."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"How are you feeling?" Ben asked as he met Miranda in the lobby, ready to head back to her place.

Miranda hesitated. "I… I'm honestly not sure right now. I… I don't think it has all sunk in yet, so I'm just waiting for it to hit me, for me to realize this is actually all real…"

He took her hand as they walked out into the chilly night. "Everything is going to be fine," he said as he dropped a kiss onto her head.

She nodded. "I know… but you have no idea how much I want to hold Tuck in my arms right now. I don't see him as often as I'd like to see him and… and after today, with everything that happened… I just need him…"

Ben squeezed her hand. "I figured you would…" he started. "... so I sort of took the liberty to call Tucker earlier this afternoon and told him what was going on. And then I asked if it would be possible if we could pick up Tuck for the night. He completely understood and agreed that it would be good for you…"

Miranda was taken aback. "You… what… you called my ex-husband… and… I… I… Thank you…" she finished, smiling up to him. "I don't know what I'd do without you…"

"You'll never have to know," he answered as they got into his car.

They sat quietly for a few minutes before Ben spoke up. "So how's the baby?" Ben asked, a smile on his lips. This made Miranda chuckle. Ever since he had found out he was going to be a dad, he couldn't think of anything else. It warmed her heart to know that he was excited about this, and it got her excited about it too.

"Baby is good. The morning sickness has gone down a bit so that definitely helps."

"Has word gotten around the hospital yet?" he then asked.

She looked at him funny. "What?"

"You work in that hospital too. Have you heard anything?"

He laughed. "Ha good point. I guess that's just the question to ask."

Miranda laughed too. "And no, it hasn't really gotten around. Even though I don't need it to be a secret like Meredith and Derek had, I guess it's just easier this way. I'm sure a few people know, but not every person in the hospital."

She went quiet and Ben could tell something was on her mind. "What are you thinking about?"

She sighed. "I worry. I mean, after these past months with Meredith I worry that something like that will happen to me. And I don't think I'd be able to make it through everything Meredith did without completely crashing down. I…"

Ben rested a reassuring hand on her lap. "What Meredith went through was terrible. And extremely unlucky. And rare. You need to stop worrying and comparing yourself to her. It won't happen. And even if something like it did, you're extremely strong and I know you would make it through just fine. I have faith in you."

Miranda smiled. "Thank you."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"What's this?" Julian asked as Amy tossed a plastic bag on to their bed as soon as she walked into their room. She fell over onto the bed without even bothering to take off her jacket. She just didn't have the strength right now.

"Open it," she said, her voice a little shaky. Julian looked into her eyes and noticed that, as rarely as it happened, he could not read them at all. They were… he couldn't describe it. So he looked back to the plastic bag and opened it slowly. His eyes went wide when he saw what was inside.

"Amy…"

She sighed. "It's been a long night so whatever has to be said, say it now."

And she wasn't kidding when she said it had been a long night.

_After having gone to visit Meredith and having been kicked out of the NICU, she headed back down to do one last check on her few patients before calling it a night. As she was changing out of her scrubs, her phone started ringing. _

_"Hello?" she answered, not bothering to check the ID. _

_"Are you still at the hospital sweetie?" _

_Amy laughed. "Yes mom. I'll be in the lobby in five minutes." _

_Carolyn smiled. "Okay, well I'll meet you there then." _

_She finished changing and headed straight down to the lobby where she found her mother looking out the window. "What's up?" _

_Carolyn turned to face her youngest daughter. "Well… I drove here this morning to pick up Lexie, but I had Lexie's car… and her and Mark used that to get home since she had… It doesn't really matter. What matters is that I don't have a way home and… Well Derek and Meredith are here tonight so…" _

_Amy laughed. "I live about ten minutes from their place. We'll drive there and you can pick up some stuff then you can stay in the guest room at our place. Sound good?"_

_ Carolyn smiled. "Thank you." _

_"What are amazing daughters for?" _

_And that's exactly what they had done. They chatted mostly about Meredith and the babies most of the way home, but Carolyn had another topic on her mind. She just didn't know how to broach it. _

_So after they had picked up some of her stuff, she decided she needed to make a little stop._

_ "Amy hun, would we be able to stop here? I need to pick some things up," she asked, pointing towards the small pharmacy. _

_"Sure, anything," Amy answered as she pulled into the parking lot._

_ "I promise, I won't be long. Do you need anything?" Amy shook her head. Carolyn nodded and went on her way. _

_When she came back no more than five minutes later, she had a curious look on her face and Amy caught on to it right away._

_ "What?" she asked when she saw the way her mother was looking at her. Carolyn simply replied by passing her the bag. _

_"What the…" _

_"It's for you. Just open the bag." Amy looked at her suspiciously. But she did as she was told and opened the bag._

_ "A bag of Doritos mom? Seriously? You had me worried there for…" she trailed off when she pulled out the bag of chips and noticed the small box under it. _

_She shot her head up and noticed her mother smiling. "You always wanted Doritos when-" _

_Amy cut her off. "How the hell do you know these things before I do mom? I mean… shouldn't I know if…"_

_ Carolyn winked. "We better hurry home if we want to find out, now shouldn't we?"_

Julian picked up the box and that's when he noticed it was opened. "You…"

"Yeah, I already peed on it."

"And…?"

Amy lifted her head. "You tell me!"

Julian looked at her in shock. "You…"

"No I haven't looked."

Julian set it down beside him. "Amy, talk to me first. How? I mean, when? And…"

"Mom. That's the only answer there is. She dragged me to the pharmacy and bought it for me. I… I hadn't even thought of it… I… she seemed so sure and I…"

"Has she seen it?" he asked, referring to the little stick in the box.

She nodded slowly. "But she put it in the box and left the room right away… She figured I'd be able to read her facial expressions…"

They were both quiet for a second. "Why are you so upset about this Amy?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her. "I mean, no, it wasn't planned, but is it so bad?"

Amy sighed. "Daniel's only a year old… I mean, having a two year old and a new baby, plus two others on top of that…"

"Natalie did it. And anything Natalie can do, you've proved you can do too."

Amy laughed. He had a point there. Her goal had always been to follow in her sister's footsteps to show everyone that even though she was the youngest, it didn't mean she wasn't capable. "Yeah… But-"

Julian put a finger over her lips. "Shhh…" he said as he grabbed the box. "Let's see if this is all real first."

Amy nodded. "You look. I…"

Julian nodded. "Okay."

He pulled the little stick out and took one look before the huge grin appeared on his face. "Looks like mom knew what she was talking about. There are Doritos in the treat cupboard love."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Mom thought of that one too," she said as she pulled the bag of chips out of her bag.

But the grin on her face matched his as he took her in his arms and left her with a passionate kiss.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I'm home," Catherine called quietly as she walked into the foyer of her house.

She figured Stephanie was probably asleep so she didn't want to wake her. As she walked into the living room, she found not only Stephanie passed out on the couch, but Stephanie passed out on a passed out Finn's lap. She giggled quietly as she picked up her daughter.

"Goodnight sweetie," she whispered into her ear as she carried her into her own room and put her to sleep in her bed. She hadn't even blinked her eyes. Catherine smiled as she closed the door over.

When she got back out to the living room, Finn was just waking up.

"Hello there sleepyhead," she said as she took a seat beside him.

"I… Um…"

Catherine laughed. "You had Stephanie all day. Exhaustion is a side effects of babysitting her."

Finn smiled as he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. "She has this magical power though. The power to make people fall in love with her."

Catherine smiled and laughed. "I've heard that one before," she said, thinking of Meredith and Derek.

"Now you'll never be able to get rid of me. Stephanie's got me hooked forever!"

"I'll have to thank her," Catherine replied with a smirk.

Finn took this opportunity to lean down and kiss her softly.

"So what did you and Stephie do all day?" she asked.

Finn had started playing with her hair and it made her sleepy. "We played dolls, then she showed me all of her teddy bears, then we ate supper… Oh, and she read a book for a little while. I've got to say she seems to love reading."

"Can't get her to put them down," Catherine rolled her eyes but laughed.

"A friend also called and they talked for a little bit. I think I might have heard her mention Meredith to her friend… Someone she might know?"

Catherine smiled. "Kayla. She's Derek's niece. Derek's sister Amy is at Seattle Grace now. She just moved here a few months ago. Stephie and Kayla became best friends instantly."

Finn smiled. "That's good. A friend, and a parent, who know what the hospital life is like. Always an advantage."

Catherine nodded. "You have no idea."

"What about you? How was your day?"

Catherine let out a sigh. "Didn't get much work done. First, cause of the power outage, then because all of us were too anxious to get anything done cause of the whole situation… It was quite the day…"

"How's Meredith doing?" He finally asked, a little hesitant.

Catherine smiled. That was a good sign. "She's doing great. She ended up having a cesarean, and as touch and go as it had been, she came out just fine. It was nerve-wracking though. Being there… It was scary. But we all made it through just fine. Especially Meredith. She was up and on the go before I left."

Finn nodded. But he wasn't done yet. "And… how about the babies?"

"They're good too. Both of them are good. Their little boy was just fine for a preemie and actually better than they had expected. Their little girl had to undergo surgery, but there were no complications there and everything went well so on. It'll be a happy night at Seattle Grace."

"It's so weird though… To be asking about Meredith… It feels like forever ago since I was spending my time trying to win her over a Seattle Grace. Life is… twisted. Very twisted sometimes…"

Catherine nodded and yawned. "So, I've been curious all day… What exactly happened between you and Meredith and Derek?"

Finn let out a laugh. "I promise, I will tell you all of that. But for tonight, you look like you could just use some sleep."

Her eyes drooped almost instantly as he said this and she nodded. "Okay… I guess I can wait…"

Finn smiled. "Good," he said as he picked her up and brought her to her room. Just like Stephanie had done when Catherine had dragged her to her room, she wrapped her arms around Finn's neck and started to drift away.

"Goodnight beautiful," he whispered as he set her down on her bed. She was asleep before he had even left the room.

With a smile on his face, he grabbed his coat and headed home, promising himself he would be back soon to give her exactly what she had wanted.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Lexie! Let me in!" Mark screamed through the door as he pounded hard on it.

Lexie just stayed leaned over the toilet bowl as she threw up the very little contents remaining in the bottom of her stomach. For the most, she hacked up dry heaves, and it hurt like hell, but she was not letting Mark get the glory of having been right. Especially since she now knew he wasn't completely right.

"Lexie! Please just open the-" The door swung open and Lexie came out, not even stopping in front of Mark. She went straight for the kitchen where she grabbed herself a glass.

"Lexie, if you tell me you're fine, I swear…"

She put the glass down and looked up. "Mark, I am fine, if you'd just give me the chance to explain-"

Mark stared at her. "The… the chance to explain?! I… I can't do this!" He walked off to their bedroom, leaving Lexie questioning what he meant.

"Can't do this?" Lexie asked. "Can't do what?"

Mark had grabbed a bag from the closet and was packing up some stuff.

"Can't have this whole being secretive from each other thing anymore."

"What… what do you mean?"

Mark didn't even bother looking up. He was too busy making sure he didn't forget something important. "You said you'd explain. You know what's wrong. Yet you've kept it from me all this time and it hasn't seemed to bother you. We're supposed to be honest with each other, trust one another…"

Lexie shook her head. "No, Mark… I… I just-"

But Mark cut her off. "Maybe… maybe we jumped back into this whole relationship thing too fast. Maybe we should have waited… I… I don't know anymore…"

"What … what are you saying?"

Mark sighed. "I… I don't know anymore… But I think I need – I think we just need time to figure it out. On our own."

Lexie shook her head. "Mark, you can't… You can't be serious… We're getting married in two months and I just –"

"We'll see what happens… I love you Lexie, but I almost feel like the phrase 'Love isn't always enough'… It feels like I know what it means…"

And with that, he was out the door before Lexie could even fight it.

She fell over onto the couch, trying to figure out what had just happened. He had just left her… Just standing there, without giving her the chance to explain. _I just found out_, was what she had wanted to say when he cut her off. Just found out…

She got up and stalked over to the bathroom, sat on the floor, and cried. But not before she picked up the little white stick from the back of the toilet, stared at it, and snapped it in half before tossing it in the trash.

It was mocking her. The little pink plus sign that seconds ago had made her ecstatic now made her want to scream and cry.

What the hell was she supposed to do now?


	60. Little Sisters & Baby Cousins

"Good morning beautiful."

Meredith awoke to Derek's light kisses and his widely grinned face. She smiled at this, at how happy they were and couldn't help but feel giddy.

"Have I told you how much I love you today?" Derek asked as he continued to pepper light kisses all over her face and down her neck.

Meredith giggled. "No, I don't believe you have."

Derek didn't stop as he replied. "Hmm, well that's just terrible of me." This time he stopped with the kisses and looked up straight into his wife's eyes. "I love you Meredith Shepherd. So much. I can't even express how much I love you at this very moment. It's just… It's a wonderful feeling though. Like nothing I've felt before."

Meredith smiled as he kissed her quickly on the lips and pulled back, still with that grin that took over his face completely.

"Well isn't this cozy!"

They both looked up and smiled at the bright and smiling nurse that had just entered the room.

"Rounds already?" Derek complained as he pulled away unwillingly from Meredith's bed. "It almost seems too early. What time is it anyway?"

Catherine looked at her watch. "It's exactly ten after eight. Quite late actually for this to be your first rounds."

Derek seemed shocked. "I swear, I don't think I've ever slept in this late!"

Meredith laughed. "Feels good doesn't it? You get used to it after a while."

"I'm sure I will," he replied as Catherine started reviewing her charts.

The statement, however, caught Meredith off guard.

"What… what do you mean, you're sure you will? You're sure you will, what? Get used to sleeping in? But…"

Derek laughed. "You don't think I'd leave you to take care of our children all on your own, did you? One baby is enough for someone to handle on their own. Two babies? Meredith, you may be as close to super woman as it gets, but I'm not allowing it."

"So… what are you saying? " she asked, a sparkle in her eye.

"What I'm saying is that I am officially on leave until February once you and the babies are released."

Meredith smiled excitedly as Catherine couldn't help but smile too at the enthusiasm in the room.

"Oh Derek! I wish I could say you didn't have to do that, but in all honesty, I need you at home with me, with us. Am I ever glad to hear that I won't have to ask!"

Derek laughed as he leaned over the side of the bed and kissed her. "Never, ever, be afraid to ask anything Meredith. You know I'd do anything for you, right?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I know."

"Good," he answered with a smirk.

Catherine cleared her throat a little, which brought the couple out of their daze. "Everything is good Meredith. Your vitals are stable, strong pulse… I am however worried still about your blood pressure, and you will be staying at the hospital still for a few more weeks so we can keep an eye on things that may not have come to our attention yet, plus Ad- Dr Montgomery," she corrected with a smirk, "needs to do a few checkups over the course of the next few weeks anyway, so all the easier to keep you locked up here!"

Meredith laughed. "Thank you Catherine."

She smiled. "No problem. However, I did leave you for last on my rounds for a reason. How are you feeling? In a non 'I'm-your-nurse' kind of way?"

Meredith nodded. "Good," she said as she looked up to Derek. "Perfect, actually. Everything is just perfect."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Meredith!"

It had only been a few minutes since Catherine had parted them to get back to work that Cristina and Jackson came barreling in to her room. They were both in their street clothes, which meant that they had finished their shifts and were off for the day.

"How are you feeling today?" Cristina asked as she leaned over and gave her person a hug. This caught Meredith off guard, as she wasn't used to this new Cristina. Jackson smirked at the expression on Meredith's face, knowing exactly what she was thinking. He was just starting to get used to it too.

"I'm feeling good," she said with a smile. "I'm great."

Derek took the opportunity now that Meredith had visitors to sneak out and head up to his office. "I'll be back soon," he said as he left her with a quick kiss.

"Mmkay," she answered, still with that smile that had been permanently imprinted onto her face.

"So how are the babies?" Jackson asked as he and Cristina took a seat in one of the chairs in the room.

"Their good," Meredith smiled, thinking about what Catherine had informed them about the babies' states. Both were healthy and showing no major complication. It was good news, of course.

"Meredith, I'm so proud of you," Cristina said with a laugh. "I still remember our first years together… And this is not where I thought you'd end up. I figured we'd end up, well in all honesty, old and wrinkly and still living together under your mother's old roof. This…"

"We're happy," Meredith answered for her. She looked over to Jackson as she said it. "We're allowed to be happy. And we can be happy without someone trying to take that away. It's our time to be happy."

Cristina smiled and nodded. "Yeah, happy."

Jackson laughed. "I'm happy too!"

This made both of the girls laugh.

"So have you had any other visitors yet?"

Meredith giggled. "Cristina, it's barely eight thirty yet. Other than Catherine who visited cause she's my nurse, nobody's crazy enough to come this early."

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door and Richard peered in.

"Good morning Meredith," he said with a smile. "Feeling okay this morning?"

Meredith smirked. "Feeling great," she answered truthfully. "I have a feeling that question is going to get old quick."

Richard laughed. "Yeah, I can understand that. Am I interrupting something?" he then asked, when he noticed her two other visitor's had gone sort of quiet.

"Meredith here was telling us that nobody's crazy enough to come visit her this early in the morning. I think she stands corrected."

Richard laughed. "Well then call me crazy! I was here anyway, and I'm staying around until Adele comes in to visit, so what better things are there to do but come visit my lovely surrogate daughter?"

Meredith smiled at this. "Surrogate daughter… I like that."

"That's exactly what you are to me Meredith. The daughter I wish I had."

"Hey, what about me?" Jackson asked, speaking for the first time since Richard had gotten there.

Richard laughed. "You want to be my daughter too? I was thinking son fit better," he finished with a wink.

The others laughed too. "I guess I could settle for that."

They were quiet for a few seconds before Meredith spoke up.

"It amazes me at how close we've all become. This time last year… It just wasn't the same. Yet everything is different now and it feels incredible to have so much family to count on."

Richard reached out and took her hand. "Meredith, we're all here for each other, and we always will be. This past year has been quite the year for most of us I believe, but we all found happiness and acceptance and family throughout its course. And all of that is here to stay."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"You're not the visitor I was expecting."

Derek smiled as he invited Lexie into his office, but noticed right away that something wasn't right. She didn't look very healthy and by the redness of her eyes, he could tell she had had a long night. "Lexie, what's wrong?"

Lexie stood near the doorway for a few moments, but when Derek came closer, she cracked.

"I… I need… Derek, I know you… I know you're not the type for favors and all… But I need… Could I have a few days off? Please… I'll do anything…"

Derek knew this wasn't like Lexie. She and Meredith were so much alike, and Meredith would never ask for time off unless she absolutely needed it. Which meant that whatever it was that Lexie needed time off for was important.

And Derek wasn't going to let her leave his office until she talked to him.

"Lex, what's going on?"

She sighed. "I… Derek… I can talk to you… right? I mean… It's not… It's not weird or anything?"

Derek took both of her hands in his and dragged her towards the couch and forced her to take a seat. "It's not weird at all Lexie. You're family, a little sister. And it really looks like you could use someone right now."

Lexie nodded as she took a deep breath. "Mark… me and Mark… we had a fight last night… He packed his bags and… and he left. I don't know where… I have no idea where he went… but he didn't stay at home last night and… and now I'm afraid to face him here… I don't want to… I don't want to have to face him here…"

Derek rested a reassuring hand on her lap. "Is that why you want the time of? Cause you don't want to see Mark?"

Lexie shook her head. "No… no it's not that… I… I'm going away to see a specialist… I… I need to see…"

Derek was worried all of a sudden. What was going on? "A specialist? Lexie… is this something serious?"

Lexie let out a sigh. She shook her head slowly. "I need to see a doctor and I fear that if I do it here, word will get around the hospital before… before I get the chance to talk to Mark… and I don't want that to happen… that would kill us for good."

"Why… why do you need to see a doctor?"

Lexie looked Derek in the eye. "Can… I need you to promise… you can't say anything to anyone. Not Meredith, not Amy, not Mom… not Mark, especially not Mark…"

Derek nodded quickly, knowing that he would do anything to make sure she was okay.

Lexie took a deep breath, but before she could utter a word, she burst into tears. Derek automatically reached for her and wrapped her in his arms to comfort her. He had never seen her this vulnerable, this emotional. And that's when it all made sense.

"Lexie… you're… you're… aren't you?"

Lexie quickly wiped away her tears and looked back up. "You spent too much time watching Meredith go through all of this for me to expect you not to clue in. I needed… I haven't told anyone yet… And I won't tell anyone else until I can tell Mark… Derek, you have to-"

He cut her off. "Lexie, I'm not going to tell a soul. But if you don't talk to Mark soon… Talk to Mom… You need her. She will know what to do and how to make things better. She's been through this more than enough times… She'll be there for you."

"I'm… I'm so scared Derek…" Lexie whispered. "What if… what if Mark and me never solve whatever this is and we… I can't let a baby go through with that…"

Derek reached for her once again and pulled her into a comforting hug. "Things will be okay. We'll figure this out. Things will be okay…"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek gave Lexie time to calm down a little, and then the two of them made their way down to Meredith's room to see how she was doing. They weren't expecting the crowd that faced them when they got in.

"Uncle Derek !" Alyssa exclaimed as soon as she noticed him come through the door and rushed towards him, wrapping her little arms around his legs.. Kayla was sitting up on Meredith's bed chatting away with Meredith like usual and Amy watched them all with a smile on her face. He had to look around a little harder to spot Daniel sitting up on Adele's lap. Carolyn had also joined the crowd of people. Cristina and Jackson were no longer there, but he noticed Richard standing behind Adele, a bright smile on his face too.

Derek looked back down to his niece and picked her up into his arms. She giggled a little before comfortably settling herself in his embrace. "Are you here to visit auntie Meredith?"

Alyssa nodded quickly. "We came to see her and the babies!"

Derek faked his hurt. "What about me?"

Alyssa rolled her eyes which made Derek laugh. "You too I guess."

Meanwhile, Lexie had managed to make her way to Meredith's bedside and smiled when she saw just how happy her older sister was. "Is Kayla here talking your ear off?"

Meredith and Kayla both laughed. "Big time. But I'm enjoying all of her crazy stories. Oh, and I've found myself a future babysitter for when the twins are older."

Kayla nodded. "When I turn twelve I'll be able to take my babysitting course and then Auntie Meredith and Uncle Derek can go on dates again and I can babysit."

Meredith and Lexie let out small laughs and Meredith promised she'd keep that in mind.

Soon enough, Amy had gathered her munchkins and said a quick goodbye before disappearing with them.

"But mommy!" Alyssa exclaimed. "We didn't get to meet our baby cousins!"

Amy gave Derek a quick look and he nodded, agreeing he'd explain to the little girl. "You see Alyssa, Kelsey and Keegan are still very little and aren't allowed to have very many visitors. But I promise you that as soon as they're old enough, I'll call you right away and you can come visit them, okay?"

Alyssa nodded but sighed. "Okay."

And without another word, Amy was gone.

"Was it just me, or did Amy seem a little off?" Derek asked as he approached Meredith's bed and took a seat on the edge of it.

"She had been a little out of it since the moment she came in. We'll have to figure that one out." Meredith replied and Lexie nodded.

Meredith looked up at Lexie and wanted to make a comment about how Amy didn't seem to be the only one who was a little off, but she held her tongue. Her sister would open up when she felt comfortable.

"So Meredith hunny, do you know how long they are going to keep you here?" Adele asked.

Meredith shook her head. "Not really. I mean, they want to keep me here as long as the twins have to stay, but I'll probably get some freedom before that. They'll just want to make sure I'm one hundred percent ready though before they make any decisions."

Adele nodded. "That sounds reasonable. Besides, you'd probably have more company here than at home anyway."

Meredith laughed. "That's for sure."

Just then, the door opened.

"Good morning Meredith," Addison said with a smile. Nathaniel was asleep in her arms and making funny bubbling noises. This made Meredith smile even more.

"Good morning," she replied back as Addie pulled up a chair that wasn't being used.

She glanced towards her heart monitor, and then quickly at her chart before asking, "How are you-"

Meredith laughed. "I'm great. Catherine already checked everything over Addie. You're a visitor right now, not my doctor, got it?"

Addie nodded. "Got it. Sam is on his way over too. He just needed to slip by somewhere and pick something up."

Meredith gave her a questioning look. "Sounds suspicious."

Addie laughed. "Does it now?"

Meredith shrugged. She'd just wait and see.

Alex and Arizona were the next ones to enter the room, but on a more serious note. Adele and Richard chose this moment to make an exit, leaving Meredith with her husband, her sister, her mother and her doctor, knowing they didn't need to be there for this update.

"We've just come to give you an update on the babies," Arizona said quickly, trying to stay professional, but letting the smile slip a little.

"Both Kelsey and Keegan are in good shape, no issues through the night. Nurse on watch kept a close eye on them and didn't encounter any problems. However, Keegan's lungs seem to be tight right now. We've got him on a ventilator and we're hoping that he'll grow out of it. If that's not the case, we'll have to find a more evasive solution and he may need to undergo surgery."

Meredith nodded, not getting discouraged. They knew there were chances that things like this happened. But they also knew their babies were being well cared for.

"As for Kelsey," Arizona continued, "no complications whatsoever occurred over night. Her heartbeat is strong, stronger than we had hoped for, so her recovery doesn't look to be very long."

This was very good news. Derek gave Meredith's hand a squeeze.

"Both of them are going to do fine," Alex added, a little more on a personal level than as a doctor. He smiled quickly at Meredith and she gave him a smile back.

"Do any of you have questions?" Arizona asked, not only referring to Meredith and Derek, but to everyone in the room.

They all stayed quiet, but Addie was the first to speak up. "Can we go see them?"

Arizona laughed at the anxiousness in her voice. "Of course."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Knowing that she wasn't supposed to bring Nathaniel into the NICU, she went up to Richard's office where she found both Adele and Richard chatting away nonchalantly about everything and anything.

"Would I be able to ask you guys a big favor?"

Richard shook his head. "Anything Addie, you know that."

Addie looked at the sleeping boy in her arms and back at the couple. "Would you mind watching Nathaniel for a little while? We're going over to visit the babies and I know I shouldn't be bringing him with me…"

"Do we mind?" Adele exclaimed. "I would have asked if we could keep him for a little while had you not asked for us to watch him. I've wanted to steal him away since the moment I laid eyes on him. Come here my little sweetie," she added as Addison passed him over.

Richard laughed. "Anytime at all Addie. You know you've got us if you need a sitter. Tell Derek and Meredith the same. Anytime at all," he said this, but his attention was no longer on Addie it was on the cute little faces Nathaniel was making.

Addison laughed. "Thanks." But neither one of them heard her. She let out another laugh as she walked out and down the hall.

She made her way down to the NICU where Meredith, Derek and Carolyn already were. They were all crowded around the two incubators, side by side, and ooing over their precious little miracles. Addie smiled as she interrupted.

"They're just precious," Addie said quietly as she reached out her hand to take Kelsey's hand in hers. The babies hand rested perfectly in the palm of her doctor's hand and Addie smiled. "She's just so tiny."

Derek and Meredith exchanged a quick look. "Addison, you work with some of the most premature babies on the coast. The tiniest of the tiniest. They're tiny yes, but…"

Addie looked up and smiled. "Yeah, but it's the first time I can take the babies hand in mine and know that in ten years from now, I'll be able to do the same again. I'll be able to see this baby grow up. I may work with babies everyday, but the oldest I ever see them is maybe a few months. I don't get to watch them grow, know that they are truly loved, just… watch them. I'll get to see that they don't stay this small forever."

Meredith grabbed her hand. "You'll get to watch your own son grow up too. Get to see him through all of his times and troubles, watch him grow into a young man someday. Watch him grow in a loving family…"

Addie nodded. "The thoughts of Nate and all the life ahead of him, and getting to be able to watch him through that makes me the happiest person on the planet for sure. But there's something different when it comes to these two," she said as she looked back to the twins. "All these years, on top of everything else I was a doctor. I've been a baby doctor most of those." She looked back to Meredith. "These will be the first babies that I'll be able to say I was a part of their life from start to finish. That first day when you found out, through the entire bumpy road… I delivered them… I mean, how many people can say they delivered their god daughter? "

Derek smiled and grabbed Addie's other hand. "You don't realize how lucky we feel to have had you on this incredible, yet incredibly tough, journey. You being there made all the difference Addie and that's why there was no doubt in my mind when Meredith had asked me if we could make you Kelsey's god mother. And you said it yourself. You've been there since day one. And you'll be there until the end."

Just then, Sam decided to make his entrance.

"Knock knock," he said from the doorway. He walked in slowly and that's when Meredith noticed her duffel bag in his hands.

"I picked up your bag," he said as if it wasn't already obvious. "Addie was talking to Carolyn this morning and asked if you had anything here. Carolyn said that last she remembered was that you had a bag packed but that it had stayed at the house. So I slipped by and picked it up this morning. Advantage to being part owner of the cottage."

Meredith laughed. "Thank you. I definitely appreciate it."

Sam smirked. "I figured you would. So how are your two little munchkins doing?"

Meredith looked back over to her babies. "They're doing wonderfully. Just wonderful…"

Sam smiled as he gave her shoulders a tight squeeze. "That's just wonderful." Meredith let out a giggle. "And speaking of little munchkins," he added as he turned to his fiancé.

"He's downstairs with Richard and Adele," Addie said as Sam leaned in for a quick kiss. "In very good hands."

Derek nodded. "Yes indeed. They've got to be just overflowing with joy with all these new additions."

Addie nodded. "Yes and they wanted to make sure you two knew that they were available to babysit anytime."

Meredith laughed. "Sounds just like them. Well they'll have to wait until they're released, but after that, it'll definitely come in handy."

Addie smiled again. "Man, I don't know how many times I'll say this, but I can't believe all of this… It's just so crazy, don't you think?"

The three others nodded.

"Crazy," Meredith mumbled.

"Definitely," Sam added.

"Unbelievable," Derek said with a smile.

"Just wonderful," Addie finished as she looked at the three others. Everything was just wonderful.

For them, that was.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Thank you for letting me stay here," Mark said as he took a drink of his coffee.

"It's your apartment," Teddy said with a laugh. "What was I supposed to say? No?"

Mark smirked. "You could've. I wouldn't have blamed you. I wouldn't want to have to deal with me either."

Teddy took a seat beside him. She gave him one look over and knew that he was suffering. His eyes were puffy and full of tiredness. And the circles under them were quite apparent. His cheeks were full of stubble, and it was obvious he hadn't done anything with his hair when he woke up. His usual joyful smile was replaced with a fake attempt, and Teddy could see through his shield to his pain.

"I don't want to intrude, but what happened?"

Mark sighed as he looked ahead. "A fight."

Teddy nodded. "Bad?"

Mark shrugged. "I… I don't know… I honestly… I…"

"Don't worry about it right now," she suggested. "Let her blow off some steam, take your time and blow off your steam. The two of you will work your way through this."

Mark looked over to his friend. "I know that, but how long is that going to take? We're supposed to be getting married in less than two months! I don't want to call off this wedding. It means too much…"

Teddy rested her hand on his back. "Derek accused Meredith of having been cheating on him less than two weeks before their wedding and they still solved their argument and got married."

Mark rolled his eyes. "We didn't give them a choice but to get married. They didn't know there was a wedding in the picture."

It was Teddy's turn to roll her eyes. "Not the point here Mark. The point is that, just like Meredith and Derek, you and Lexie are strong and madly in love. This will be solved in no time."

Mark nodded as he continued to drink his coffee.

"So are you going to visit the new parents?" Teddy asked as she got up from her seat. She knew it was her job to change the subject.

"I should…" Mark mumbled. "But I know Lexie will be spending most of her day –"

Teddy cut him off. "You're hopeless. Hopelessly in love. Get over this and move on. Go apologize for whatever you did and get back to being the cocky Mark Sloan you're so good at being. This sad and depressing Mark Sloan is just not right."

Mark couldn't help but smile at the look Teddy was giving him. This of course made her smile in turn.

She knew that he would do the right thing.

**I know the apologies are getting old, but I took an extremely long time for this update because life is so busy this time of year and I feel guilty but I promise I'll be generous this Christmas (: Hope you enjoyed !**


	61. Big news and bad turns

It was quite obvious that a terrible storm had passed through Seattle the day before. Power lines were still down in some areas, trees were fallen everywhere you turned, roads were wet and starting to ice over ever so slightly. The cold front that the storm had brought was the worst of it all. It was definitely the coldest it had been so far this fall and everyone could feel it.

At least Miranda sure could.

It wasn't a very long walk from her car to the hospital, but it sure was a cold one. She rubbed her hands together frantically as she tried to warm them up.

"Miranda, Miranda, Miranda," Ben said as he shook his head and smirked. "Even your son knows better than to leave the house without mittens on a day like today."

Miranda rolled her eyes but smiled as she looked down to Tuck, his small mitten covered hand clutched to Ben's. She couldn't help but love the fact that the two of them got along so well and were enjoying each other's company.

"I've got to say, it's not very often I come to the hospital on my day off," Ben thought out loud.

Miranda shook her head as she opened the main door, thankful for the heat. "Me neither." But she couldn't not come and visit her patient. Not this one.

But when they made it up to Meredith's room, they were soon informed by Catherine that Meredith had gone up to the NICU to visit the babies and that she could be there a while.

"Go," Ben said with a smile. "I'll keep an eye on this little rascal," he said as he picked up the giggling Tuck. "You need to go see Meredith. We'll just go down to the cafeteria or something."

Miranda said a quick thank you and headed up to the NICU as quickly as she could. She was anxious to see Meredith, to asses her with her own eyes, to make sure she was doing as well as everyone assured her she was doing.

"Bailey," Lexie said as they met in the elevator on the way up. "Isn't today your day off?"

Miranda nodded. "Yes, I'm here as a visitor today," she said with a laugh. "Visiting a few very special patients."

Carolyn laughed. "Aren't we all?"

The three nodded and headed out onto the maternity floor the minute the elevator door opened.

It was only a few moments later that they made their way into the NICU where they caught Meredith and Addie ogling over the babies, Derek smiling like an idiot and Sam trying not to laugh at the scene in front of him.

As soon as they had heard the door open, Meredith lifted her head to see who had come in.

"Miranda," she said with a smile. "It's nice to see you!"

"I figured you would have been pretty crowded this morning, so I decided to wait a little while before making my appearance. "

Meredith nodded. "It's been pretty crazy. I didn't know these two would capture so much attention."

Most of them just rolled their eyes. "Meredith, when will you learn?" Addison asked with a laugh. "Anything involving you and Derek is top news in this place."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Besides," Derek continued, "they both have my good looks and charm. Who wouldn't people want to ogle over them?"

Meredith gave him a light punch in the leg, the highest she could reach up from her seat. Derek smirked and leaned down to give her a kiss. "Those nurses are just still all disappointed that I'm taken."

"Okay," Carolyn said as she gave her son 'the look.' "We know you're arrogant and full of yourself Derek, but your kids don't need to see that."

They all let out a few chuckles.

"Wow Meredith," Miranda said as she looked down onto the precious little sleeping forms. "You did a really great job."

Meredith smiled. "And I couldn't have done it without you," she said looking Miranda in the eye. "all of you really," she said, looking up at each of the people surrounding her, finishing with Addie. "Thank you, all of you, for helping me through this."

"Don't mention it," Addie said with a smile. "You know we'd do anything for you and we enjoyed ourselves most of the time in the process. God, it still feels like it was just yesterday that this all started."

"You're reaction when you first found out," Miranda said with a smile as she thought back.

"_You're_ reaction when I first found out!" Meredith added with a laugh.

"You're freak out rambling when I was your doctor," Addison said with a smirk.

"Had you have been in my shoes, you would have reacted like that too," Meredith answered with huff.

"Derek's reaction was the best," Addison continued, looking over at the new dad.

"Hey! I had come up to growl at you, not to find out Meredith was pregnant. I was not ready for that."

"Neither was I but I managed to tell you without fainting," Meredith added with a laugh.

It was Derek's turn to huff and cross his arms.

"I remember finding out two weeks later at the wedding," Carolyn said as she glared over at Derek. "Two weeks later! And I had been in contact with Mark the entire time. Do you know how many times he could've slipped up?"

"We wanted to tell you in person!" Derek argued back.

"It doesn't really matter now," Meredith said with a smile. "It's just important that everyone knows."

"Yeah, I think _everyone_ knows now," Sam said with a laugh. "Everyone in the Seattle area that is."

Meredith put out a pout. Everyone just laughed.

"I don't know exactly when I found out," Sam added, continuing with the previous topic. "I guess it's because I only met you after you found out. Addie probably told me or something."

Meredith laughed. "Well we're very glad you're part of this crazy family now."

Carolyn looked over to Lexie, who had stayed quiet the entire time. It worried her a little. "How about you Lexie?"

"Huh?" Lexie was caught off guard. She had sort of spaced out. "Oh right. Well… It's no big deal. I found out near the beginning. I…"

Meredith saw the look Lexie gave her and understood. She remembered when Lexie found out too. It had been right after Richard's heart attack, which had been right after some other unfortunate events. So she decided to switch the topic. "Anyone up for some lunch?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Jackson was sitting in the lobby, deep in thought. All of this commotion from the past few days had gotten him really thinking. He didn't want anything to happen to Cristina before he got to tell her how he actually felt. Well, he didn't want anything to happen to Cristina period, but especially before he got to do what he really wanted to do. So he had decided that today would be the day.

Her and Izzie had just left. They had both spent the night here the night before and wanted to get home. Since Izzie had come in with Alex and wanted to leave him the car, Cristina volunteered to drive her home. She was headed out on the road anyway, so why not? She wanted to get home, shower, get changed and just relax a little. And then she would meet Jackson at their favorite little restaurant like he had asked her.

The thought brought a smile to Jackson's face.

He was going to propose. He still wasn't sure how he was going to do it. On one knee, casually, even be sneaky about it. But he just figured when the time came, he would know exactly how he was supposed to do it.

And he prayed to God she'd say yes.

"Jackson?"

Jackson turned around when he heard Richard's voice. He smiled up at the man he had become so close to in the past few months. His father.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to bother you or anything," Jackson started as he got up from his seat. "I just wanted to tell you something."

Richard looked at him inquisitively. "What is it?"

Jackson pulled the little box out of his pocket and Richard couldn't help but smile before he even opened it.

"You're going to do it?" Richard asked.

Jackson nodded quickly as he opened the little box to reveal its contents.

"Wow, it's beautiful," Richard said, then shook his head. "What am I saying. I don't know anything about jewelry."

Jackson laughed. "I don't either, so I had a little bit of feminine input."

Richard gave him another questioning glance.

"Lexie mostly, but Meredith helped out too. And my mother has already approved."

Richard surprised Jackson by taking him in for a hug.

"What was that for?" he asked, a little confused.

"I'm proud of you," he said with a smile. "I may not have been there to watch you grow up, but I can see that you're just a wonderful young man and that you'll make an amazing husband to any woman lucky enough. Yang is lucky she's got you."

Jackson smiled back and nodded. "Umm, thank you…?"

Richard laughed. "Now go, make Cristina the luckiest woman on earth."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After having eaten a quick lunch with Meredith and company, Lexie discreetly asked Carolyn if they could go talk somewhere. Carolyn had a feeling she knew what this was going to be a about. She was a mother, and she had already figured out Amy's little secret. It seemed however that Lexie had figured this one out for herself.

Lexie was taking Derek's advice. She didn't know how long Mark would be upset with her so she figured she at least could tell Carolyn. She knew that Carolyn wouldn't tell a soul. And she knew that Carolyn would know how to help her out and that she would do everything she could to help her out.

"What is it sweetie?" Carolyn asked when they sat down in a deserted corner of the waiting room.

"I… Mark and I are in this argument, and… I fear that we won't get out of this. I mean… It's bad… And I need your help…"

Carolyn was taken by surprise. She was sure this was going to be about the fact that she was pregnant. She was just so sure…

"Anything I can do hun to help, you name it," she answered as she rested a supportive hand in her shoulder.

"What if Mark never forgives me?" Lexie asked as tears formed in her eyes.

"Oh Lexie," Carolyn said as she wiped away a stray tear that had fallen. "The two of you will make it through whatever this is. He can't stay mad at you forever."

Lexie nodded.

"Do you mind me asking however, but what is going on anyway?"

Lexie sighed. "I've been getting sick lately, and I've been more tired and Mark thinks there is something wrong and he's hounding me to go see a doctor but I've been trying to make him understand that I can take care of myself."

Carolyn laughed a little. "Stubborn just like your sister."

Lexie smiled. But her smile disappeared. "I know why though…"

Carolyn looked confused. "Why you're stubborn?"

Lexie shook her head. "No, why I've been feeling crappy lately. I found out last night, and I was going to tell him right away, but he wouldn't… He didn't give me the chance. He would cut me off, and he just stormed out. I… I don't even know where he stayed last night. God I worry about him. That sounds so pathetic, but it's true…"

Carolyn nodded. "You're allowed to worry about him. It's almost mandatory."

Lexie smiled. "Thank you."

Carolyn nodded. "So…" she said after hesitating a little. "You said you knew why you were sick…"

Lexie nodded. "I'm pregnant…"

Carolyn couldn't help but smile. "Lexie, that's wonderful news!"

Lexie finally let the smile break through. "I… I know." She paused before she continued. "You knew, didn't you?"

Carolyn nodded. "Of course I did hunny. I haven't missed one of my daughters yet. Except Meredith…"

Lexie laughed. "But given the circumstances of that day and all… Plus you hadn't had the chance to guess. It's all understandable."

"I'll get her next time," Carolyn said with a wink.

Lexie nodded. "I just hope Mark is as excited about this as-"

Carolyn cut her off. "He will be absolutely thrilled, don't you worry about that. Once he finds out, all this will be put behind you."

Lexie nodded. "God I hope so."

It was at that moment that Lexie's phone started vibrating in her pocket. She pulled it out, figuring it was probably Meredith wondering where she was. She stopped dead when she saw Mark's name.

"It's him…" she mumbled.

Carolyn smiled. "It's fate I tell you."

Lexie looked at Carolyn and her encouraging nod made her hit that accept call button.

"I… I don't-"

Mark cut her off. "I'm sorry. I was being stupid. I… I just worry about you Lex and I can't handle the thought of something bad happening to you. I'm sorry I got mad and that I walked out on you. I… You're everything to me and I don't want this to tear us apart. I love you Lexie, with all of my heart and I need you to know that."

Mark waited for a response and he got more and more worried as the seconds slowly ticked by.

"Lex? Are you there?"

Lexie shook herself out of her state of surprise. Mark never ceased to surprise her. "I… I'm sorry too. And thank you, for that. I mean…"

Mark laughed. "I needed to say it as much as I needed you to hear it. And I know you needed to hear me say it too." He paused a few moments before continuing. "I'm at home right now. I… I just needed to change and shower before heading into the hospital. I need to see you, and I want to go see Meredith and the babies. And Derek of course. You're at the hospital right? Either way, that's where I'll be headed in about half an hour. Don't leave without me. I need… I need to make sure that you're okay. And not medically or whatever. I trust your judgment and I'm sorry I doubted you… I just… Well you know…"

It was Lexie's turn to let out a small laugh. "I know." She paused a few moments. "I love you too Mark. I'll see you soon."

And with that she hung up.

She turned only to come face to face with her soon to be mother in law sporting a huge grin.

"Is it immature of me to say; 'I told you so!'?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Hurry up Finny! I want to see Meredith!"

Finn just laughed as Stephanie pulled him by the hand through the main doors. Catherine had dropped the young girl off at his place that morning before heading into work. The Sundays that Catherine worked had become Finn and Stephie time. He enjoyed the young girls company and since he didn't work on Sundays, it gave him something to do. Plus, it made it easier on Catherine and that mattered too.

"She's not going anywhere! We'll get to see her!"

They were on their way to the nurse's station to get Meredith's room number when they ran into Miranda, Ben and Tuck.

"Stephie!" Tuck exclaimed.

Stephanie smiled as she gave the little boy a hug. "Hi there Tuck."

Miranda looked up from the two kids and smiled at Finn. "Dr Dandridge."

"Dr Bailey," he replied with a nod. "Umm, you wouldn't happen to know where –"

Miranda cut him off. "Room 437, maternity ward. Her and Derek should be back there by now. We were just down for lunch so she'll be full of energy." Finn heard her mutter something like 'I don't know how she does it' and he smiled.

"Thank you Dr Bailey."

Miranda smiled. "I think you can call me Miranda. It seems that you're one of the new additions to the family. So Miranda will do."

Finn laughed. "Then it that case you can call me Finn."

Miranda nodded. "Yeah, I was going to anyway."

Stephanie pulled on Finn's arm. "Can we go now? Pleeasee?"

Miranda laughed. "It seems someone here is anxious to see Meredith."

"Yeah," Finn started. "I better get-"

"Go," Miranda answered. "We'll see each other another time."

Finn nodded as he followed the young girl towards the elevator.

"Meredith!" Stephanie exclaimed as soon as she entered the room.

Meredith and Derek both smiled at the newcomer.

"Hey there Steph," Meredith smiled as she sat up in her bed and Stephanie crawled up.

"Aren't I glad you're okay," Stephanie said with the most serious expression. "You had me worried Meredith!"

Meredith laughed at the young girl and said with a smile. "I'm glad I'm okay too. And the babies are okay. Everyone's okay."

"Good," Stephanie said with a smile.

Finn stayed standing in the doorway, not sure whether to come in or not. He knew that the past was now water under the bridge, but he didn't know what to do now.

Derek noticed his hesitancy and smiled up at him. "We won't bite," he said with a laugh.

Finn looked over to him and laughed. "I know, I just…"

Derek smiled. "Come in, take a seat." He looked over at the two girls. "It could be a while."

Finn hesitated a little, but finally made his way through the doorway. Meredith looked up and smiled.

"Stephanie here was just telling me about how much she loves spending her Sundays with Finny. She's really lucky to have someone like you. They both are."

It was at that precise moment that Catherine chose to come into the room. "How are you doing Meredith?" she asked without looking up from her chart.

"Mommy!"

This of course made her look up and surprise than happiness flooded her features as she took in Meredith's visitors.

"Hey there sweetie," she said as she approached the bed. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to see Meredith mom," she rolled her eyes, as if it had been a stupid question. Catherine couldn't help but smirk. "I had to beg Finny but he caved in and came."

Catherine looked up at her boyfriend and smiled. "Thank you, again."

"It was no problem," Finn said with a smile.

Catherine looked around. "Okay, so I'm now on my break. What do you guys say about explaining how in the hell everyone knows each other?"

"Mommy!" Stephanie exclaimed. "Language!"

Catherine laughed. "Sorry."

Meredith looked up at Finn, then at Derek and laughed. "This reminds me a lot of the last time we were together. However, this time there's a few extra people and I'm not high off of morphine and saying whatever comes to mind, but other than that…"

Derek and Finn couldn't help but smirk as they remembered Meredith on morphine.

"Care to share?" Catherine asked.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

After leaving the hospital, Amy went home with the kids to find Julian making them a big brunch. It smelt absolutely delicious and Amy couldn't help but smile.

"What's all this?" she asked as her husband leaned in to give her a quick kiss.

"Can't a father make a meal for his wonderful children and his lovely wife?"

Amy laughed as she helped the kids pull off their jackets. "Of course he can. Actually, he could do this every weekend. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Julian laughed again as he wrapped his arms around his wife. Once the three kids had rushed to the play room, he leaned in again, and this time, left her with a kiss that took her breath away.

"What… what was that for?" she asked, this time, surprise in her voice.

Julian's eyes twinkled. "Can't I show the mother of my children just how much I love her?"

Amy was suspicious. "You want something, I know it."

Julian pulled her into the kitchen where he started pilling plates with pancakes, eggs, bacon and sausages. "Amy, I saw how… I don't even know how to describe how you were this morning. Dreary, almost a walking dead. I… I know you're still not a hundred percent sure about this baby, but I know it's a wonderful blessing and I know that deep down, you want this too. And if you have any doubts about me wanting this, know that I want this more than you can imagine. I grew up with one older sister and I always dreamed of being a part of a big family. We can give that to our kids, just like you had that chance. Amy, this is good. This is more than good. This is… This is absolutely perfect."

Amy eyes watered and she couldn't help but smile as Julian pulled her in for a comforting hug.

When they pulled away, Amy looked her husband in the eyes. "I'm happy," she said with a smile. "I am, I promise. It's just that with Meredith and everything that she went-"

"Stop doing that," Julian said. "Stop putting yourself in your sister's shoes. You've done that all your life, especially with Natalie and now you're doing it with Meredith. What happened to Meredith was unfortunate, yes, but she made it through, they all made it through, and with little harm done. Don't think about the what if's, think about that little baby growing inside of you and how lucky he or she is to be coming into this wonderful family. And how lucky we're going to be to have an extra addition."

Amy smiled and nodded as Julian wiped away the few loose tears. "Okay," she whispered. She looked over to all the food. "I know there's more to this. You gave me your encouraging talk, now give me the real reason."

Julian laughed and kissed his wife. "You know me too well."

Amy gave him the 'I'm waiting' look and he cracked.

"Fine. I think we should tell the kids."

Amy seemed shocked.

"You don't think we should?" Julian asked.

Amy shook her head. "No, I knew we'd tell them probably within the next few days, I just thought all of this warranted something bigger."

Julian smiled. "You having another baby isn't big enough?"

Amy was going to reply when she heard a squeal from behind her. She turned around quickly to see the excited look on her oldest daughter's face.

"Kayla! I didn't-"

But her daughter cut her off. "You're going to have another baby? What? I mean… I… I can't believe… Mommy, can I pick out his name? Please? I mean, can Alyssa and I pick out his name? Daniel is still too young to help, but Alyssa and I… We're going to have another baby in the house! I mean, wow, wow, wow!"

Amy couldn't help but laugh. "You're okay with this sweetie?"

Kayla looked shocked. "Okay? Are you kidding me mom! I'm… I can't tell you how excited I am!" She wrapped her arms around her mother's legs. "Mommy is having a baby!"

Alyssa came around the corner at that moment followed by a stumbling Daniel.

"Baby?" Daniel asked.

Amy and Julian looked at each other than back at their two youngest. "Yes, a baby. A little brother or a little sister."

"Mowre babies?" Alyssa exclaimed. "Mewedith and Dewek just had some! And now thewe will be mowre?"

Amy smiled at her daughter. "Is it okay if there's another baby around the house? Will you be a helpful big sister?"

Alyssa nodded quickly. "I'll love my baby bwotha wit all my heawt!"

Julian looked down at her daughters. "Both of you seem to think it'll be a boy," he said, referring to Kayla's use of _his _earlier. "It could be a girl too you know."

Kayla shook her head. "Nope, it's going to be a boy."

Amy looked at her husband. "We'll deal with that if the time comes," she whispered.

He nodded as he grabbed some plates and headed to the dining room for a celebratory brunch.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Finn and Stephanie hadn't stayed too long. He could tell the little girl was drained from the last two days of commotion and even though she swore up and down that she didn't need a nap, that she was too old for that, Finn thought that by the time they got back to his place, she may have changed her mind.

They hadn't been in the car long when he noticed Stephanie asleep in the back seat. He smiled and quickly turned his attention back to the road. Just in time too.

He had just enough time to slam on his breaks before rear ending the car that was stopped in front of him.

_What the hell? _he thought_. No one stops on the interstate._

The quick stop woke Stephanie up from her sleep. "What's going on?" she asked.

Finn unbuckled his seat belt. "I don't know. But I'm going to find out."

Two cars ahead of him was a big tour bus and he couldn't see anything passed that. He figured if he could walk just far enough in front of him, he could see what was going on.

Not wanting to leave Stephanie alone, he pulled her out of her car seat and carried the sleepy girl with him. Walking past the car stopped in front of him, the woman in the car rolled down her window.

"What's going on?" she asked, and Finn noticed the three kids in the car with her looking nervous.

Finn shrugged. "I'd have to say an accident by the looks of it. But I don't hear sirens or anything. That's why I'm going to go take a look."

The woman nodded.

Finn started walking the length of the bus, which happened to be stopped on the turn in the road. There was no traffic coming in the opposite direction which almost confirmed the idea of an accident.

But Finn wasn't prepared for what he was going to see.

He hadn't even made to the front of the bus that ne noticed the scene not three cars in front of it.

"Oh my God…"

He quickly made sure that Stephanie was still asleep on his shoulder before taking it all in.

A transfer truck was nearly completely upturned, it's trailer blazing. More than a dozen other vehicles were piled on both sides, some blazing, others unidentifiable in the mess. Finn figured they had missed this by maybe a minute.

It was then that the sounds of sirens were first heard.

Three police cars passed him before pulling to a stop not too far ahead of him, on the edge of the pile up. Two others came to a stop nearer to him.

"Sir, we're going to have to ask you to return to your vehicle," the police man asked.

Just then, a loud explosion sounded and Finn watched as three more vehicles on the other side burst into flames.

**I told you guys I'd be generous on updates this Christmas ! Hope you won't be too mad with the end of this chapter !**

**Merry Christmas everyone !**


	62. Recognition and instinct

After having hung up with Mark, Lexie and Carolyn decided to make their way to Meredith's room to wait. Lexie definitely looked better since her talk with Mark and Carolyn could tell that everything was going to be fine between them after they had a chance to talk it out. She figured that Lexie's news would not only put everything over the edge for Mark, he would be so joyful, but it would also explain her being sick and that would put all of this argument, or whatever they were in, at peace.

When they got to her room, they were surprised to state that Meredith and Derek were alone. Cuddled up on the hospital bed, neither one of them was asleep, and they both smiled when their visitors walked in.

Meredith rolled over a little as Derek propped himself up on his elbow.

"I'm betting it's hard for the two of you to get any time alone today," Carolyn said with a smirk.

"Impossible," Meredith said with a laugh. "But it's comforting to know that there are so many people who care, so I guess we can handle it," she said this as she glanced at her husband.

"And it gives me less to worry about since I'm technically still on the clock." His pager went off at that instant. "See?"

"We'll keep an eye on her Derek," Carolyn said with a wink.

"You know, I talked to Natalie last night," Meredith started, once Derek was gone.

"I'm not surprised," Carolyn laughed.

Meredith sighed. "She seemed a little… off. I mean, we haven't known each other that long, but we've talked so often on the phone and in the few times I've seen her she's just been so… Joyful, and carefree… But she seemed kind of…"

Carolyn rested her hand on Meredith's lap. "You want to know what I think? I think she's lonely. She's spent her life with Amy and me always around. She's always had her mom and her little sister to count on. And I started seeing it as soon as Amy left. Well, as soon as you left really. She had you to distract her for a while after Amy left. But as soon as you were gone, she seemed lonely. And I've been gone for almost two months now too. She's lonely…"

Meredith nodded. "I would be too if I were in her shoes. So used to always having people around to count on. I feel like I'm stealing everyone away."

Carolyn let out a small chuckle. "She wants me here for you. She's said it before. She's just glad you've got family here to help you through it. If it were up to her, she'd be sitting here right now with us."

Meredith smiled. "I can imagine." She took a glance at her sister. "Hey, you've been awfully quiet."

Lexie looked up at her sister, distracted by the thought of telling Mark she was pregnant. He should be here any minute, and she didn't know how she was going to tell him yet.

"Sorry, I'm just… Not completely here right now. You know?"

Meredith nodded. "Oh I know."

The TV in the corner of the room suddenly caught their attention as the red flashing Breaking News title appeared.

_There has been quite the pile up on the I-34. 15 vehicles, including an upturned transfer truck, were victims of the icy streets and didn't make it around what commuters call 'The Devil's Turn.' We have a news chopper flying over the scene where two dozen police vehicles, ambulances, and fire trucks have assembled to save the dozens of people trapped in their vehicles and extinguish the multiple fires. Sever injuries have been detected and patients will be sent to Seattle Grace/Mercy West hospital. Victims with minor injuries and the few that were declared dead at the scene are being rerouted to Seattle Presbyterian to avoid congestion. We will be back shortly with more details. _

"That will definitely keep Derek busy for most likely the rest of the day," Meredith said as she shook her head. "Wow…"

Their eyes were glued to the scene in front of them. Both Meredith and Lexie were used to seeing the results of these sorts of things, but never really the cause of it all. To have this put in front of them really opened their eyes and made them realize just how terrible it all got.

"It's incredible what mother nature can do," Carolyn mumbled and Meredith nodded.

Neither of them noticed right away the panic stricken expression on Lexie's face.

"Oh God," she mumbled and both women turned immediately.

"Lex?" Meredith asked. "What is it?"

"He said he was at home… We take that route everyday to get to the hospital. And he was on his way. He… Oh God, he…" She looked back up to the TV were the chopper had zoomed in on the scene and was really getting a better look at the mess. "That's his… That's his car… That's Mark's… Mark's in there!"

Neither Meredith nor Carolyn knew what to say as Lexie just stared straight ahead, shocked at what was happening.

"Lex… I mean… Are you sure?"

"I… Yes, I'm positive… I… It's not a very popular car… I… What would be the chance? I mean… I…"

Meredith reached over and grabbed her sister's hand. "Lexie, breathe. Look, don't panic okay? We don't even know for sure if it's his car okay? So breathe, and close your eyes. We'll worry when the time comes. Cross that bridge when we get to it."

Still staring in the direction of the TV, Lexie started talking, so quietly that Meredith had to strain her ears to hear it. "Have you ever had that gut feeling that something has gone terribly wrong?"

Meredith gulped. She had, but she wasn't going to admit to that. She waited for her sister to continue. As she watched her, she saw her expression change, as if she realized something, and then she burst into tears.

"Lex! Lexie, are you-"

Lexie cut her off. She was shaking her head. "Our fight… We had a huge fight last night and he left… He was so mad, so hurt… I… He left… And I didn't even get… Oh God… He doesn't even…"

Meredith watched her little sister sob and shake, and she couldn't do anything to reassure her. "He doesn't what?" she pressed.

Lexie looked at her for the first time. "He doesn't know… I'm pregnant."

Meredith's jaw dropped. "I… Oh… Oh my God Lex…" In better circumstances, she would have been ecstatic to hear this, would have been so proud. She still was proud, but this wasn't how it was supposed to happen.

Why couldn't things just be easy for once?

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

As soon as Derek had gotten the page, his stomach turned and he had a bad feeling. He couldn't help but sigh in relief at the fact that he knew it wasn't Meredith. At least he didn't have to worry about her. But little did he know it was going to be a whole new ball game.

He made his way down to the ER where he discovered that there had been a major accident and they were receiving all of the majorly injured. 18 out of the 34 patients. He knew right away it was going to be a long day.

Ten ambulances had already arrived. The ER was already starting to fill up. Derek ran out to meet the next three that were pulling in but stopped dead in his tracks as he caught the end of the conversation one of the paramedics was having with Dr Karev.

"John Doe, multiple fractions, including a skull fracture."

Alex gasped when he saw the patient. "Shit. This is no John Doe."

After hearing that Derek turned. He knew before he even saw who it was that it was one of them, one of his doctors.

As he turned to catch Alex, he realized that the young man had already started wheeling the patient into the ER. He grabbed the next John Doe and wheeled him into the building behind the rest. He had a laceration to his chest and a punctured long. Teddy was ready in the ER and took him out of Derek's hands.

As he turned, he caught Alex coming out of one of the Trauma rooms. He looked sullen.

"Karev!" Derek yelled over the noise as he approached. "Your John Doe. I heard he's not a John Doe? I need to know if-"

Alex cut him off. "At this moment sir, I think you'd be better off not knowing."  
This, of course, confirmed Derek's fears. But he wasn't prepared when he entered the room.

Before he even got a glimpse of the patient, he heard a quick 'he's awake!' as the doctors rushed around him.

Derek laid his eyes on the patient and gasped.

"Oh God… Julian…"

Julian looked up at Derek. "Don't worry about me Derek," he said very faintly.  
Immediately, Derek thought of his nieces and his nephew, and of his sister. Were they in the car with him? Were they okay?

Julian, even in his state, could read Derek's face and knew what he was thinking. "The kids-" he coughed a little, "the kids are at a friends. All of them… But… Amy… Amy was with me… and I don't know… Derek," he took a deep breath. "Derek, you need to find her… She's… she's…" his eyes shut and monitors started beeping furiously as Derek watched the doctors scurry around him.

"Dr Shepherd?" one of the ER nurses said. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave. No family allowed."

He could tell the nurse was slightly afraid to be kicking the chief of surgery out of the trauma room, but Derek knew she was just doing her job. He nodded and left, returning to the busy, buzzing ER.

"Make way! One of ours coming through!" Dr Lewis screamed.

He got out of the way just in time, and his mind clicked at the words 'one of us.'

He looked quickly down at the mangled body on the gurney.

And he stopped breathing.

He just couldn't.

No.

"Derek? Derek?"

He felt himself being pulled over to a corner, and sat down in a chair. His breathing was labored and he felt really dizzy.

"Shepherd!"

He finally looked up and saw Callie's tear brimmed eyes.

"Mark…" he mumbled.

Callie nodded as a tear slipped down her face. "Derek, he's in good hands. We all know how good Dr Lewis is. He'll be okay, okay?"

Dr Lewis.

Neurosurgery.

"I… That should be me… I should be-"

Callie cut him off. "You can't operate Derek because he's your brother. Even if there is no legal document stating it, none of us would let you in that ER because we know you wouldn't be any help. Derek, trust me okay?"

"Okay."

Callie stood up straight, then plopped herself down beside Derek.

Mark.

Mark was here, a patient, a mangled up piece of flesh, and he needed brain surgery. Mark. Mark Sloan. The Mark Sloan...

Lexie.

Derek shot out of his seat. He looked over at Callie. "Oh God, I have to find Lexie…"

Callie nodded quickly. "Are you sure…"

Derek didn't give her the chance to ask if he was sure he would be alright. He needed to make sure Lexie was okay.

Lexie, who was probably clueless as to what was going on.

Lexie, who hadn't been speaking to Mark since the last time he had spoken to her.

And then he stopped in his tracks.

Lexie, who was pregnant, and now the father was in one hell of a condition.

A father who didn't know.

And when Derek finally made it to that door, opened it, and took in the expression on his wife's little sister, on his brother's fiancée's face, he knew that she knew.

And he knew what she was feeling.

Because he had been there too.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Jackson was still sitting in the lobby when the news flash about the accident had appeared on his television screen. And just like the girls, it had captured his attention. However, when he recognized one of the vehicles in the pile up, he didn't even take more than one breathe before picking up his cell.

"Come on, come on, come on... Pick up!" he yelled nervously into the phone.

No answer.

He raced down to the ER, running as fast as his legs would let him run. He was out of air when he reached the emergency room and all of it's commotion.

"Richard!" he called out as he noticed him evaluating the mess.

"Jackson? What are you-"

"Have you seen Cristina?" he asked, despair in his voice.

Richard seemed puzzled. "I thought she was meeting you at the lobby…"

Jackson shook his head. "No, I mean…" he pointed to all of the patients in the ER, and those that were still being wheeled in. "Have you seen her… here…"

Richard's eyes grew as he looked around, then back at his son. "Jackson… how…"

"I saw her car… well, my car… I saw it in the videos… They're showing them on the news… Flying over the accident. They said that the patients would be brought…"

"Are you sure it's your car Jackson? It could be…"

Jackson ran his hand through his hair. "They zoomed in… I have my high school basket ball team logo on the back window Richard… I… Oh God…" he had tears streaming down his face now. "I can't…"

Richard rested his hand on his son's shoulder. "I'll drive you to Seattle Presbyterian. If she's not here, she's there."

Jackson nodded quickly.

Richard walked over to the ER desk, and quickly told them that if Cristina came through, to call his cell. They nodded and promised to do so. Richard then returned, and led Jackson out to his car.

The drive was quiet, other than Jackson's nearly silent sobs. It broke Richard's heart to see him like this. He remembered their little conversation from earlier, on how he was going to propose today. What were the odds?

When they reached Seattle Pres, they rushed right away to the ER. They noticed how much activity was going on here too, but it wasn't quite as hectic as at Seattle Grace. Jackson ran straight for the desk.

Richard however opted for looking around the room to see if he could spot Cristina. His eyes fell on of one of their doctors, but not the one they were looking for.

"Amy!" Richard exclaimed as he walked over.

Jackson, however, was too concerned about his girlfriend to go and see the woman he had become good friends with. He would, as soon as he found Cristina.

"I'm looking for Cristina Yang," he said to the woman behind the desk.

She looked over her list and shook her head. "There's no Cristina Yang on my list…"

Jackson trembled.

"But a lot of the bodies that have come in haven't been identified. There were three Jane Doe's…" the woman gave him a sympathetic look. "I have pictures of the woman who have been sent to the morgue for when their families came…"

As soon as Jackson heard the word morgue, his heart stopped. "I… She can't be… NO!" he was crying fully now. "She… I can't look…"

The woman nodded. "Do you have a picture of her maybe? I can… I can look for you…"

Jackson had to think about it, but remembered that his phone was filled with pictures of her. He pulled it out of his pocket with trembling hands and managed to find a good one through his tears that the doctor could use.

She took a few moments, then gave him back his phone. "She doesn't match any of the women in the photos," she said with a small smile. "I think the last ambulance might have just arrived.

Jackson looked over in the direction that the doctor's attention had shifted. He felt his heart skip a beat when he saw his beautiful girlfriend argue with the paramedic about something then he laughed.

"Thank you" he called over his shoulder to the doctor and she knew right away he had found her. She was just glad she hadn't needed to break the poor man's heart.

"I said I don't need to be sedated, I just need someone to give me some drugs to relieve the pain a little and I can wait for a freaking cast. I'm a doctor, I know what the hell I'm talking about too and I know a broken leg is the least of your worries here right now."

Jackson noticed the doctors slightly scared expressions.

"Don't worry doctors, she's not as scary as she seems," he said as he approached with a smile on his face.

Cristina looked up as soon as she recognized the voice. "Jackson!"

He rushed to her side and took her hand. "You're okay…"

Cristina noticed his puffy eyes and her smile disappeared. "I… How did…"

"It's on the news. I saw my car… And I rushed here as soon as we realized you weren't at Grace."

"Jackson…" she mumbled, "I… I'm sorry about your car…"

Jackson couldn't help but laugh. "It's replaceable. You're not. I'm just glad you're okay. God… You had me so worried… You have no idea… I…"

Cristina squeezed his hand tight as Jackson kissed her forehead. "I'm okay."

"Yeah, you're okay."

He leaned in and kissed her for real, feeling relieved, and all of those fears of losing her flooded away.

"Wait," Cristina said as she pulled away. "If I totaled your car, how did you get here?"

Jackson looked over his shoulder to where Richard was and Cristina followed his gaze.

"I should have figured," Cristina said with a smile. "Daddy would do anything for his precious little boy," she laughed.

Jackson nodded. "Yeah, he really would…"

"Is that… Amy?"

Jackson nodded. "I'm going to…"

Cristina smiled. "Go," she said. "Go find out what happened and come back and let me know. Maybe in the meantime I could get some painkillers!" she said a bit louder. This made Jackson laugh.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Amy!" Richard exclaimed when he noticed the youngest of the Shepherd's. "What… Are you okay?"

She nodded, but her eyes were filled with tears. "I…"

Richard rested his hand on hers. "Are you sure? Where are you hurt?"

Amy took a deep breath. "I have a few broken ribs and a minor concussion. Nothing really…"

Richard looked into Amy's eyes. And then something clicked. "Oh God Amy, were the kids in the –"

Amy shook her head quickly. "No, no… They're at a friend's house. We had just dropped them off…"

Richard caught onto the we. "Julian…"

Amy nodded. "Oh God… He was unconscious when they took him out of the car… He…"

Richard nodded. "Amy, I'm going to call Derek now, okay? I'll be right back."

She nodded and he gave her hand a tight squeeze before heading off to a quieter place. Jackson picked this moment to come over.

"Hey," he said as he sat down in the seat that Richard had vacated.

She looked up at him then back at Richard. "I… what are you guys doing here, anyway?"

Jackson pointed back over to where Cristina was. "Came looking for Cristina. I saw my car in the mess on TV and knew that Cristina was driving it. When she wasn't at Seattle Grace, we came out here to see if we could find her. How are you?"

Amy shrugged. "Sore…"

Jackson looked around. "Do you want me to get a doctor? Have they given you any pain killers?"

Amy shook her head. "I can't take pain killers."

Jackson looked back. "Why not?"

Amy looked up to the sky and tears started to form again.

"I'm pregnant," she whispered.

He didn't know how he was supposed to react. He didn't know if this was a good thing or not. He didn't know how she felt.

And Amy sensed this. "I found out last night," she said. "After I got back from the hospital. My mom's the one who pretty much told me." She let out a laugh. "My husband and I told the kids this morning." She then looked at Jackson. "And you're the first person who knows otherwise. And now, my husband is lying in a bed somewhere at Seattle Grace and I…" she shook, "I don't know what I'll do if I lose him…"

It was Jackson's turn to take her hand. "Everything is going to be okay. You'll see."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek pulled away from Lexie and looked over to his mother than to Meredith, before looking back at Lexie. "How did you…"

"His car," Lexie said. "I could tell it was his car… I… Is he…"

Derek took a deep breath. "He needs brain surgery. That's all I know… I don't know what the damage is, or anything for that matter… But I know he needs brain surgery and Dr Lewis is going to perform it…"

Lexie sobbed into Derek's shoulder. "Oh God… I…"

"I can assure you, he's incredible Lex," Meredith said, trying her best to stay strong for her sister. She had good practice, at staying strong. She had to be strong for Lexie, just like Lexie had been strong for her.

"I hadn't told him Derek… I didn't get the chance…"Lexie mumbled into his shoulder.

He rubbed her back as he registered what she had said. "Lexie…"

"They know," she said referring to her mother and Meredith. "They know… but he doesn't. I… He called me… Said he was sorry, and that he knew I could take care of myself, and that he loved me. I didn't tell him… Not over the phone, I couldn't… But now…"

"You'll get your chance Lexie," Meredith said. "He'll make it through this. And he'll be so excited. I just know he will be," she said this last line as she looked at Derek.

Derek continued just holding Lexie, and finally, looked up at his mother who had stayed silent the entire time.

"Mom?"

She looked up, and Derek could see the tears in her eyes. "He's my son… Or, he's as close to my son as he can be without… Whatever. He's my son and he's…"

Derek knew he would have to tell her that Julian was here too and then he thought about Amy. He had to find out where Amy was. How could he do that though, without worrying his mother even more?

It was at that moment that his cell phone rang.

Lexie pulled away and straightened herself out before Meredith invited her to come sit on the bed with her. Derek answered his phone.

"Hello?"

"Derek! It's Richard!"

"Richard," he said as he excused himself. He stood in the hallway, just outside the door. "I can't… God, please tell me you're downstairs in the ER right now and you have good news for me."

Richard let out a breath and Derek closed his eyes. "I'm afraid it's not the best news I have for you. Derek, your sister was in the accident."

Derek nodded. "I know. I was talking to Julian. God, I need to know how Amy is. With Mark on top of all of this…"

"Mark?" he asked, shocked. "What's wrong with Mark?"

Derek seemed shocked that he didn't know this. "Richard, where are you?"

"Derek, that's what I've been trying to say. I'm at Seattle Pres…"

Derek didn't know what to say. "Seattle Pres… Why?"

Richard sighed. "Yang, Cristina… Jackson was watching the news and he saw his car in the pile up. When we couldn't find her at Grace, we drove out here to see if we could find her…"

Derek took a ragged breath. First Julian, then Amy, then Mark… Now Cristina? "Did you find her?"

"Yes, she-"

"How is she?" he asked, not only because he knew Meredith would be worried, but because he worried about her too.

"She seems to be fine. I think she has a broken leg, maybe needs a few stitches… But she's fine."

"Good, that's good…" He then remembered him saying something about how Amy had been in the accident too. And how it had been bad news.

"Oh God, Amy's there too, isn't she?"

"She is Derek, but-"

Derek cut him off. "Is she alive? Is she okay? They were taking bodies there… Oh God… Is she…"

"Derek, Derek, she's fine," Richard assured him. "She's got a few broken ribs, and a minor concussion. But she wants to know about Julian. You said you were talking to him…"

Derek let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and felt the tears flow down his face. "He's got a fractured skull. I don't know if he went into surgery or not, because I'm not allowed to operate and Dr Lewis… Dr Lewis is in the OR with Mark…"

Richard took a deep breath. "What… Mark, is he…"

Derek sighed. "I don't know really… Callie got me away before I had the chances to ask. Or pass out."

Richard nodded, even though Derek couldn't see.

"Richard, you said you had bad news…"

"Well, the bad news was that your sister had been in the accident. I didn't know that you already knew."

Derek once again, was able to let out a breath. "You don't know how much that was actually good news."

"I do now," Richard said. "Jackson and I are going to stay here for a little while longer. Keep us updated."

"I will," Derek said as he hung up the phone. He looked up towards the sky.

Help.

**Ta da ! I'm once again sorry for the wait. I hope I can be forgiven ! **


	63. Hopeful minds

"Amy's okay," Derek said to the unconscious form of his brother-in-law. "She's at Seattle Pres. Mom and Jackson are there. And Cristina, but she was in the accident too." Derek talked to him as if they were just having a normal conversation. But it was far from being just another day.

More like the day from hell.

It had been eight hours since the ER filled. Eight hours since his day that he should have been spending relaxing with his wife, cooing over his twins, turned into a nightmare.

And eight hours since two of his brothers had seen daylight.

_Derek took a deep breath before heading back into Meredith's room. The three woman were all just letting it sink in. Mark was in critical condition. He knew they didn't need to hear about the others, but, he needed to inform them. After all, Carolyn's daughter, blood and all, was one of them…_

_"That was Richard," Derek said, solemnly._

_"Is it good news?" Meredith asked._

_Derek thought about how just moments before, for him, it had been good news. But this wasn't going to be._

_"He's at Seattle Presbyterian," Derek started to explain._

_"Why?" Meredith asked, the only one in the room with any strength left. She was so incredibly strong. Derek was glowing with pride._

_"Jackson… He saw his car in the mess. Cristina was driving it…"_

_Lexie looked up. Meredith shuddered. "Oh God… Is she…"_

_"When she wasn't here," Derek continued, "Richard volunteered to drive Jackson out there. She's fine Mer," Derek assured her. "Banged up and a little broken, but nothing life threatening…" He saw Lexie sag at that comment. _

_Meredith let out a breath. "I hate being stuck here! I want to be out there helping, saving lives, being there for them…"_

_Derek let out another sigh. "I know Meredith, but you need to just rest…"_

_She nodded slowly. "I know…"_

_Derek took another deep breath. "There's more. They ran into someone else there, who was in the accident…" He had trouble looking over at his mother. "Mom…"_

_She looked up and saw the look on Derek's face. Before Derek was even able to say anything she burst into tears, her shoulders sagging and gasping for breath. Derek had never seen her like this. And she still hadn't even told her…_

_"Derek," she cried, "please, please tell me I don't need to plan a funeral… God, I can't… No, there's… with Mark already I… No…"_

_Derek walked up to his mother. "Richard and Jackson found Amy." She gasped. "She's fine, bruised and banged like Cristina…"_

_"The kids, oh my… It's the kids isn't it? Derek…" she cried harder, "not… not one of my grandbabies… Not…"_

_"They weren't in the car Mom," he said. She let out a small breath. _

_"Julian was though, am I right?" _

_Derek nodded. "He's here… Going into surgery soon…" Carolyn sagged with tears again. Derek wrapped his supportive arms around his mother. _

_"I… This can't be… I…" Carolyn just continued crying in her son's arms.  
Meredith watched as her sister stared blankly at nothing. She didn't know what to say. Nothing could make this easier. _

_So she just stayed quiet._

_Carolyn finally pulled away and put on a strong face. "I'm… I'm going to go down to Seattle Presbyterian… I…" she looked over to Meredith._

_"Go," she said. "Amy needs you."_

_Carolyn nodded, but before she had a chance to get up, the door burst open.  
"What the hell happened?" Addie said, as soon as she spotted Derek. She had gone home with Sam, then later realized that they had forgotten Nathaniel's diaper bag in Richard's office. As soon as she started the car, she heard word about the accident. And when she got to the hospital, everyone seemed so shook up that she knew it was bad. She knew where she would hopefully be able to find Derek, and if not Derek, she knew Meredith would be up to date.  
But when she took in everyone's expressions she knew it was bad._

_"Addie, the accident-" Derek started._

_"I know about the accident," she said, then looked around, and back at Derek, as if asking, 'what's going on in here?'_

_"Julian's in surgery," Derek started._

_"I'm going to Seattle Pres…" Carolyn said. "Amy's there…"_

_"And Cristina," Meredith added._

_Addie turned back to Derek, knowing there was more._

_"Mark's in critical condition," Lexie mumbled, shocking everyone. She hadn't said anything for a little while. And her voice was shockingly strong after having all these bombs dropped on her._

_"How the…" Addie fell down on the side of Meredith's bed, beside Lexie. "All this? I… How? I mean…"_

_Derek sighed. "I wish we had an answer…"_

_"I'm going to Seattle Pres," Carolyn said again. "I need to make sure for myself that Amy's okay."_

_Addie got up. "Let me drive you Carolyn," she said. "I'm going too." She looked back at Derek, and Derek knew she was saying keep me updated.  
He nodded._

_He just hoped it would all be good news._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"_Thank you," Carolyn said, as they were halfway to Seattle Pres. "I would never have made it. I mean, I… Three of my children, my kids… I…"_

_Addison reached over and rested her hand on Carolyn's thigh. "They'll be okay, all of them. You of all people know how strong they are."_

_Carolyn nodded quickly and wiped away the tears that were still streaming down her cheeks. _

_When they finally arrived, Addison let Carolyn out at the main entrance and went to find a parking spot. Carolyn went straight for the desk._

_"Amy Corrigan," she mumbled quickly._

_"She's still in the ER," the lady replied. She then gave her directions and Carolyn left off in a hurry, barely giving her a quick thank you. But the receptionists were used to that._

_"Mom," Amy exclaimed as soon as she saw her mother enter the room.  
Carolyn noticed that Amy was right next to Cristina, and that Jackson and Richard were sitting between the two beds. When you become a surgeon, sometimes your closest family is the people you work with._

_Carolyn leaned down and brought her youngest daughter in for a hug. "Oh my goodness Amy, you had me so scared…"_

_Amy let a few tears roll down her face. "I… Have you seen Julian?"_

_Carolyn shook her head. "No, I came straight here sweetie. Julian was on his way into surgery though. Him and…" she paused, catching Richard's glance._

_"Him and who?" Amy asked, not having heard about Mark yet._

_Richard sighed. "Mark," he answered. _

_Amy let out a gasp. "Mark… Mark too?" She sagged over a little. _

_Carolyn glanced quickly over at Cristina and Jackson at this news. She knew that they too, especially Jackson, were very close with the man. Cristina seemed shocked. Jackson tried saying something, but he just couldn't. _

_"Does Lexie…" Cristina finally spoke._

_"Lexie knows. She's with Meredith and Derek. She'll be alright."_

_It was then that a nurse came up. "We have rooms ready for both of you," she said looking back and forth between Cristina and Amy. _

_They nodded and were brought to their rooms. Jackson went with Cristina, Carolyn with Amy, and Richard went out to call his wife, let her know what was going on._

_As soon as they were settled in, Amy had a pain rip through her and she gasped as she clutched her stomach._

_"Amy! Are you okay? Have you seen on OBG? Had an ultrasound? Is the baby okay?"_

_Amy sighed. "I… I don't know… There were four other woman brought here that were pregnant. Two others that had been in the accident, one had a fall or something and the fourth… well I don't know, but they were really held up and I'm a doctor and I know that they were far worse off than me."_

_"Amy…" _

_Again, the pain ripped through her and she started crying again. "I… Mom, we told the kids this morning. I was finally… I'm excited about this baby… And I don't want anything to happen to him or her… And with Julian… Oh God… With Julian…"_

_Her mother held her tightly. She reached over and hit the call button, and soon, there was a doctor by their side._

_"I'll go and get an ultrasound machine," he said as soon as they had explained what was happening. He came back right away._

_"The fetus is in distress," the doctor announced solemnly. _

_"That means surgery," Amy stated. "I…"_

_The doctor sighed. "We only have two Neo-Natal surgeons in today and they are both in surgery. However, if we wait, there's higher risk that you miscarry. We can have a resident who's been working with our best Neo-Natal surgeon supervised by an attending perform the surgery but-"_

_"I'll do it," said a voice from the open doorway._

_Amy, Carolyn and the doctor looked up to see who the voice was. _

_"And you are?" The doctor asked._

_"Dr Addison Montgomery, head of Neo-Natal at Seattle Grace, whatever whatever. I can get someone to fax you my credentials if you'd like. I'll do it."_

_The doctor shook his head. "No need for credentials. I've heard wonderful things about you Dr Montgomery. But what brings you here?"_

_Addie looked over to her friend and gave her a sad smile. "Visiting a very good friend of mine who was in the accident this morning."_

_"And you don't mind doing this surgery?" he asked, writing a few things on his chart. "What about your friend?"_

_"Her friend is more than glad she's come in to save the day," Amy said, tears flowing for what she knew would not be the last time today. But these were tears of joy._

_The doctor finally understood. "Okay, well I'll get you a team set up. We'll see you in OR 4 soon Dr Montgomery."_

_She nodded before the doctor left._

_"I… Addison…" Amy started._

_"Don't say anything. You know you've always got me," she said with a smile. _

_Amy nodded. "Thank you."_

_Addison shot her a bright smile before turning back to Carolyn, who was once again in tears._

_"Carolyn, everything is going to be fine okay? It's a simple procedure, one I've done plenty. You don't need to worry about –"_

_Carolyn cut her off. "I won't ever doubt your capabilities Addison Montgomery. I know you're an amazing doctor. And I knew you were an amazing person, but not to this extent. Meredith yesterday, Amy today… I… Addie, there is no way you'll ever understand how grateful and how thankful I am to you. You've not only saved them, you've saved me."_

_Addison couldn't help but tear up a little bit too._

_She wiped them quickly then went back to being formal. "Do I need to explain the procedure, the risks, everything?"_

_Amy shook her head. "I know what's happening. I assisted you just last week on a surgery identical to this. I'm good."_

_Addison nodded. "Okay then. In that case, how is Cristina?"_

_Amy shrugged. "She's Cristina. Stubborn, but she'll be fine."_

_"That's good then," Addison said with a small smile. Just then, the doctor from earlier walked in._

_"We're ready for you two," he said, and after saying a quick goodbye, they followed him through the hallways of the unfamiliar hospital._

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"She had to go in to surgery," Derek continued. "She's recovering just fine. Mom called, to let us know what was going on. I'm going to say I was shocked when she told me Addison was performing her surgery, one because, well they're at Seattle Pres and Addie was supposed to be nothing but a visitor. But I'm glad it was Addie. With everything she's done for Meredith… Anyway. And then it clicked. Addie performing the surgery meant that Amy was pregnant. Mom told me about how you guys just found out last night. Congratulations. I mean, well… No, everything will be fine and you guys are going to be fine. And don't worry. Other than Addison and I, nobody else really knows. Well, that I know of. I know how Amy likes to keep her private life her private life, so I won't say anything. That's up to you guys. The kids are at the hospital with her. They want to come see you too, so Addison's going to bring them by on her way home. And don't worry about them for tonight. They're going to stay with Addie and Sam and Nathaniel. Mom's staying with Amy. Besides, I don't think she'd be able to handle watching them tonight anyway, she's so stressed out. But the kids will be fine…

_It was nearing seven o'clock when Amy starting stirring from her sleep. She stretched a little, and her eyes slowly opened._

_"Mommy's waking up!" Kayla exclaimed. _

_The sound of her daughter's voice made her all the more aware of her surroundings. She fully opened her eyes and looked around. Alyssa was asleep on her grandmother's lap, Daniel, in Addie's arms. And Kayla was wide awake on the edge of her bed._

_"Hey," she said quietly, and she noticed right away the tears in her oldest daughter's eyes. "Hey sweetie, don't cry…"_

_Kayla nodded slowly. "Mommy, when Taylor and Kyle's mom told us that we were going to the hospital, I thought it was to go see Meredith again. But when she told us you and daddy and been in an accident, I just cried. I don't want you to go mommy…"_

_Amy was shocked. "Go? What do you mean?"_

_"Jason in my class, his mommy was in an accident and he said that she went away to heaven. I don't want you to go away to heaven. It sounds far…"_

_Amy's eyes filled again quickly, and she carefully pulled her daughter closer. "I'm staying right here, with you okay?"_

_She nodded. "But what about daddy?"_

_Amy looked over to her mother to see if she had heard anything. She shook her head. "Daddy will be fine, okay?"_

_Kayla nodded as she cuddled in with her mother._

_Amy played with her hair. Addison finally spoke up. "Surgery went great. Your baby is fine."_

_Amy smiled. "Thank you."_

_Addie brushed it off. "I'm a doctor. It's what I do."_

_Amy rolled her eyes and the two let out a small laugh. She looked back down at her now sleeping daughter._

_"I… What am I going to do… I… they can't stay here, and Julian… Well, they can't stay there… And as much as I know you'll fight to take them with you Mom… I know you're in no shape at all for that…"_

_Addie smiled. "Sam and I are going to watch them for the night. And then we'll play it day by day. We're both not working, so it'll be perfect."_

_Amy shook her head. "But… What about Nathaniel? He's so little still and I don't want my kids to pester you and you already have him to have to watch over and-"_

_Addison let out a soft giggle. "Amy, stop. Lina has her apartment a few floors down from ours and she'd be more than happy to help. I've already talked to Sam and he's setting up sleeping arrangements for tonight. We'll slip by your place to get the kids their stuff. Kayla told me she has her key. Amy, incase you don't remember, Kayla is still my goddaughter. And I made a promise to watch out for her and make sure she's always safe. The kids are just a package. And if I need any help at all, Derek said he'd slip in and give me a hand. And so did Richard and Adele, along with Mike and Noah. We'll be fine, okay?"_

_Amy let out a shaky breath. _

_"Now," Addie said, "we promised the kids that we'd stop by and visit their dad on the way home. How about we wake these little munchkins and head out?"_

_Amy nodded as she nudge Kayla a little. _

_The three kids gave their mother a hug, and Addison promised they'd be back to visit tomorrow. Amy nodded and was now alone with her mother. _

_"Mom, you don't need to –"_

_"I'm staying," she answered. "And you're not stopping me."_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

_Just a few doors down, Cristina woke up to find Jackson talking on the phone. When he noticed her awake, he smiled and passed her the phone._

_"It's for you," he said._

_"Hello?" she said tentatively, not sure who to expect._

_But she should have known better._

_"Cristina! I swear, if I wasn't stuck in a stupid hospital bed myself, I'd be right there beside you right now."_

_Cristina couldn't help but laugh at Meredith's rant. "I know you'd be here."_

_"How are you? I've been wanting to talk to you all day, but every time I called, Jackson said you were still asleep. Well sedated?"_

_Cristina smirked. "Yeah, as soon as I got those painkillers I had been so adamant about getting, I was out." It was then that she noticed the cast. She looked questioningly over at Jackson. _

_"While you were out like a light," Jackson mumbled with a smile._

_"Apparently I was really out," Cristina said back into the phone. _

_Meredith let out a small laugh. "So I take it there's not too much pain."_

_"Nope, not really," she answered. _

_"That's good to know."_

_Cristina smiled. "So how are things over there?"_

_Meredith sighed. "Well, Derek just got a page. Julian's out of surgery. He's going to be fine. No major damage. There's still very little news on Mark though."_

_Cristina nodded. She figured Jackson already knew this. _

_"How's Lexie holding up?"_

_Meredith looked over to her sleeping sister in the corner of the room. "She's exhausted and stressed out and…" Meredith didn't know whether to mention the pregnancy or not, so she didn't. "She' s taking it in piece by piece. She finally crashed, obviously exhausted from the day. I tried convincing her to go home, but she wanted to be here for Mark when he got out of surgery. Then I tried getting her to at least go to an on-call room… but I think it's easier for her when there are people around. And she knows I'm not going anywhere."_

_Cristina nodded. "You're the greatest sister, you'd be around for her even if you weren't stuck in a hospital bed."_

_Meredith smiled as she glanced over again at her sister. "Yeah, I would be. Anyway, I'm going to let you go. Make a quick recovery so you can come back here and kick everyone's asses again."_

_Cristina laughed. "I will."_

_She hung up and looked over to Jackson. _

_"Good morning," he said with a smirk._

_She laughed. "It's seven o'clock in the evening. And it's far from a good one…"_

_Both of them sighed. _

_"How's Amy?" _

_Jackson sighed. "She had to have surgery in the end, but she's fine."_

_Cristina nodded. "What was the surgery for?"_

_Jackson knew it probably had to do with the baby. When he had gone to visit her, he found Carolyn in the room alone. She had just said Amy had gone to surgery, not knowing that Jackson knew, but he didn't press. He stayed with her, knowing she probably needed some company right now. But it wasn't long after that that Amy's kids all arrived and Carolyn had that much needed distraction. Jackson had slipped back out and had found his way back to Cristina's room._

_"Not really sure," he said with a shrug. "We'll find out someday."_

_She nodded._

_"Cristina… I…"_

_He took her hand and gave it a light kiss. "You scared the hell out of me today. When the lady at the ER said she had pictures of the woman in the morgue, and that I couldn't find you around that ER… I couldn't look. I just couldn't think about not being able to wake up to your peaceful face in the mornings, and going to sleep beside your smiling one at night. Our time together has been short, and I couldn't think about how it might end before it even began. And then I thought… I thought about what today could have been…"_

_Cristina scrunched her face. "What do you mean?"_

_Jackson sighed. "Today, those lunch plans, I… I was going to propose." Cristina went wide eyed and gasped. "I hadn't exactly figured out how. I figured it would come to me, the right words, the right motions, the right everything. And I know, sitting here in a stuffy hospital room, with you in your cute little cast isn't the most romantic setting but this is what I thought perfect would feel like." He didn't make any motion to get down on one knee, but he did pull a small box out of his pocket and smiled. "I hadn't realized until now just how much this means, but when you've come this close to losing someone you love, you don't waste another second. So…" he popped the top open and Cristina gasped again. "Cristina, will you marry me?"_

_She didn't know if the drugs threw her emotions off too, but Cristina would never admit that she cried on her own free will. It was just the day that made her emotional. She looked from the ring back up to Jackson and nodded quickly. "Yes yes yes!"_

_Jackson laughed as he pulled the ring out of the box and slid it down Cristina's finger before leaning in and leaving her with a passionate kiss._

_Cristina looked up into his eyes as soon as he pulled away and laughed. "There is one disadvantage to this perfect proposal."_

_Jackson scrunched his eye brows. "And what's that?"_

_Cristina smirked evilly. "No hot engagement sex."_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Mark was in the accident too," Derek said with a sigh. "I know how much you and Mark got closer since you've been here. I mean, you two were always close, even back in New York, but since you've been here… We're all thinking about him. It makes things so much easier to know that you'll be okay. Mom's… well mom's a basket case. With you, and Amy, and Mark… Plus she has Lexie to worry about too now, and she wants to worry about the twins but we won't let her… She's just got too much to handle. But knowing that you and Amy, that you're both going to be okay… It makes a lot of difference. She called all the girls while Amy was in surgery. They all cried. Kathleen's coming down for a few days, to help with the kids mostly, but also to be here for everyone. Natalie wanted to, but she knew she couldn't. Same with Nancy. But Kathleen, she'll be here in two days. She had a few things to take care of first. She'll be a lot of help. I-"

Derek was interrupted by the sound of voices. He turned around and smiled when he saw Addison walk in, Daniel in one arm, and Alyssa and Kayla clinging to the other one. Kayla was the first to let go, and slowly, she walked over to sit on her Uncle Derek's lap.

"Is he sleeping?" Kayla asked.

Derek nodded. "Yes he is, and we can't wake him because he really really needs to sleep."

Kayla took her father's hand. "Mommy's okay daddy. So now you need to be okay too. Because we need both our mommy and daddy."

Derek rubbed her back as she talked to her dad. She was so grown up, it wasn't even funny. And this would just make her grow up even more.

The two others stayed glued to Addison, not too sure what to do about anything. Seeing their dad like that scared Alyssa, and although Daniel knew something was wrong, he was too young to understand it.

"I'm going to get these guys to my place," Addie said, and Kayla gave her dad a quick kiss on the cheek before heading back over to where Addison stood. "I'll call you if I have any problems."

"You won't," Kayla said. "And I'll be very helpful Auntie Addie."

Addison smiled. "Thank you Kayla. Let's get you guys home."

Derek said a quick goodbye before sitting back down beside his brother. "Kayla's so grown up. You should be proud of her. Very proud. And Alyssa and Daniel, they're going to be wonderful kids, they already are. And this one coming… well that'll be one luck kid, getting to be a part of such a wonderful family…"

Just then his pager went off. He took a deep breath before getting up. "That's Mark. He's out of surgery and in the ICU… I'll be back later."

Just as he made it to the doorway, he was caught off guard by what happened next.

"Thank you."

Derek spun quickly to see Julian's eyes wide open. "Julian…"

"I mean it. And not just for the company, for everything. It was very comforting…"

Derek seemed taken aback. "How much…"

"Well I know that Cristina is in the hospital with Amy and that Carolyn and Jackson are there and everything after that. How much is that?"

Derek smiled. "Plenty. Go back to sleep. You need it."

Julian nodded and closed his eyes back over.

Things seemed to be looking up.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

When he made it to the ICU, Derek wasn't shocked to see Lexie sitting at Mark's bedside. She was quiet, her eyes staring at Mark's face, her hand slowly and probably unconsciously rubbing his, which was tightly clutched in hers. She didn't say anything, but Derek knew that she didn't need to. Her presence was enough.

He didn't want to interrupt, so he took one more glance at his brother and sister-in-law before heading back down the hallway, heading for the one place where he knew he could finally let all this day off his shoulders for the first time in what seemed like forever.

"It'll all be okay," Meredith whispered to him when he slid into her bed with her.

She kissed away the one lone tear that made it down his face.

**I hope you guys don't hate me too much 1) because of what I'm doing with the story and b) because of my absolute lack of updates. I can promise that 1) will get better, and will try my hardest for b) to do the same ! Thx ! **


	64. Recovering

If all felt like a terrible nightmare. All of what was going on, Derek could only wish he'd wake up and everything would be okay again. But he knew as soon as he opened his eyes that this nightmare was far from being over.

"Hey," he said as he turned around and faced Meredith, who was sitting up in the small hospital bed they had spent their night together on. She turned to him at the sound of his voice and attempted a small smile. Derek knew it was forced.

"Hey," she replied. Derek sat up beside her and pulled her onto him, all while he wrapped his arms lightly around her waist.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, wanting to know why she was up before him.

He glanced quickly over at the clock in the corner of the room and noticed it was a little after eight.

Meredith shrugged. "Not very well," she said honestly. "I mean, with everything that's happening…"

Derek nodded. "I know. I didn't sleep very well either."

Meredith rested her hands on top of his. "Do you think everything will be okay? I mean, with everyone? Especially Mark right now, since everyone else seems to be doing alright, but Mark? Mark is… God, I don't know what we'll do without Mark… He's Mark, and Lexie… Oh god, Lexie needs him more than ever right now… He… Mark doesn't know that he's going to be a dad Derek! Could you just imagine what Lexie is feeling right now? And she's blaming it all on herself because they were fighting so she didn't tell him and that he was in the accident on his way to the hospital coming to meet up with her… She's just putting this all on herself and I can't watch her get hurt like that and… I want to be happy, and I feel selfish, wanting to be happy in this massive sea of hurt and pain, but Derek… We're new parents and I just want to feel happy about that…"

"What do you say we go visit the twins?" Derek suggested, hoping to wash away the sad look in Meredith's eyes. She nodded slowly, knowing she needed to get out of this hospital bed or else she'd burst.

"Could we stop and make sure Lexie is okay first? And maybe stop by and go see if Julian is up? I… I need to see with my own eyes… I need to make sure that they're all still there…"

Derek nodded. "Of course we can," he said as Meredith slipped into her wheelchair. The two of them made their way up to Mark's room, and they just watched from the window as Lexie slept on the couch beside Mark's bed.

"She looks really pale Derek," Meredith whispered, worried about her little sister like never before. "I… I can't even imagine what she's going through right now. I don't want to, and I hope I'll never have to but… I want to be there for her as much as I can…"

"I'll ask Addie to check her out later on today, okay?" Derek suggested, knowing it would comfort Meredith. Now, they just needed to figure out a way to get Lexie to agree.

"We should just leave them in peace," Meredith said, not wanting to bother either of them, although she knew Mark probably had no idea of his surroundings. It still felt like they would be bothering them.

"Do you still want to slip in to Julian's room?" Derek asked as he pushed her down the hall.

Meredith nodded. "Especially since Amy can't, I feel like he needs someone to be there for him, and since I can't be much of anywhere else, I might as well be there."

Derek nodded and they turned into the room Derek had spent several hours in just the day before.

"Hey, you're up," Meredith said as she noticed the man sitting up in his bed.

Julian nodded. "Yeah, I guess I am. And you're up too I see."

Derek parked Meredith beside the bed before pulling up his own chair. "It's good to see you awake."

Julian nodded. "It's good to be awake. I still feel extremely sore and groggy, but doc says I should make a full recovery in no time. Says that my brain is healing very well. The way he says it, it's almost as if he was talking about the scrape a kid gets on his knee when he falls from the monkey bars, not brain surgery."

Meredith smiled slightly. "But it's good to know that you'll be fine."

Julian smiled. "Is it ever… I talked to Amy this morning," he continued. "She says that Addison told her she would probably be in the hospital for almost a week, but that she'd be out before me. I… I worry about her though. I mean, she'll have the three kids to deal with, plus she'll be recovering, plus with the pregnancy and all I mean-"

Meredith didn't know what to say. "Wait… Did you just say…"

Derek took a deep breath, as Julian looked over to his bother-in-law. "Amy's pregnant, yes. And Addie operated on her yesterday, everything went fine, but it's going to be a tough next few weeks. So, I'm taking my leave early, to be able to help everyone out," Derek announced, knowing it was the right decision to make. "Having to deal with being chief on top of worrying about my family will be too much and I know which one of the two is more important. So Amy will have plenty of help and plenty of time to recover, don't you worry, okay?" he said, now addressing Julian.

Julian nodded. "Thank you Derek, for everything."

Derek rested his hand on Julian's shoulder. "It's what brothers are for."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Addie?"

Addison looked up from her seat on the rocking chair in Nathaniel's nursery, feeding the little boy when she heard the voice from the doorway. She looked up, and noticed Kayla standing, looking a little bit uncertain about what to do next. You could tell that the little girl was past being tired and that these past few days had taken its toll on her. With her stuffed dog tucked under one arm, and her hair pointing in all directions, Addison suddenly remembered the little girl as if she was just a toddler again. It seemed like forever ago, but Addie knew she needed people just like she had needed the attention back then.

"Come on here sweetie," Addison invited, her warm smile the only invite Kayla really needed. The young girl made her way across the room just as Addison got up and out of her chair and put Nathaniel, who was starting to fall back asleep, back in his crib.

"He's so little," Kayla said as she glanced through the railings on the crib.

"He's very little," Addison agreed as she took Kayla's hand in hers and led her towards the hall. "He also needs his sleep, so we're going to let him sleep right now, okay?"

Kayla nodded quickly as her grip tightened on Addison's hand.

"Are my mommy and daddy going to be okay?" Kayla asked, tears in her eyes.

Addison looked down at her, and got down on one knee to wipe the tears out of the little girls eyes. "They are going to be fine, okay? I've known your mommy and daddy for a very long time and I know they would do anything to make sure they stayed by your side. They want to make sure you don't get hurt either, and to make sure of that, they need to stay with you, and Alyssa and Daniel."

"And the new baby," Kayla added.

Addison smiled. "And the new baby."

Rather than lead her back to the living room where the two others were still sleeping, Addison brought Kayla into her and Sam's room. Sam was already up and on the go, making some breakfast for the bunch, so it would give the girls some privacy.

"Uncle Derek called me after you guys went to sleep last night," Addison started. "You're daddy woke up last night just after we left and said that he was very proud of you for being so strong. He needs you to be the best big sister and big girl you can be right now because your mommy is going to need you to be on your best behaviour while they both get better. Do you think you'll be able to do that?"

Kayla nodded quickly, assuring Addie she was up for the task. "I'll make sure Alyssa and Daniel are good too. And I'll help mommy with everything. I'm a big girl, and I want mommy and daddy to be better real soon."

"I'm sure you'll be a great help sweetheart and I know it will definitely help them get better."

Addison sat down on the edge of her bed and Kayla crawled into her arms.

"Addie?" Kayla suddenly said, after having sat in silence for a little while.

"Yes hun?"

Kayla took a deep breath. "Is Uncle Mark hurt too? I heard you talking on the phone last night and you said something about Uncle Mark not waking up. Is he going to be okay, just like my mommy and daddy?"

Addison thought about how she had been talking to Derek nearly as soon as she had gotten back to the house. She was sure the kids had all been asleep, but she should have known better.

"We all hope that he's going to be okay," Addison answered truthfully.

"What about Auntie Lexie? Is she okay?"

Addie nodded. "She wasn't in the accident, but she will need you guys to keep her company while we wait for Uncle Mark to wake up. Maybe, once Alyssa and Daniel wake up, we could make some cards for everyone, some get-well soon messages?"

Kayla nodded excitedly.

Addison just hugged the girl close, knowing it was going to be a long next few days.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"How's he doing?"

Amy hung up the phone and let a small smile fall on her lips. "He's awake, so I guess that's all that really matters right now. But he says he's feeling good, so that's a bonus."

Carolyn smiled at her daughter.

"Any word on Mark since he got out of surgery?"

Carolyn shook her head, hoping that no news was good news. But she knew someone would have called had he of woken up.

"How about Meredith? How is she doing?"

Carolyn sighed. "She doesn't want anyone to worry about her. She keeps telling me to stop worrying about her, that there's enough people to worry about as it is and that she's perfectly fine. But I still am making sure Derek gives me the real truth."

"Which is?"

Carolyn smiled. "Which apparently is that she's doing just fine."

Amy laughed. "Figures. Have you talked to Addison today?"

Carolyn nodded. "Yeah, she called around seven-thirty, knowing I would be up. The kids settled in fine last night and will stay there again tonight. They'll go back home tomorrow."

Amy was confused. "Mom… We already told you that you were not to have to take them on top of everything else. You need to save your energy. You've got enough to handle as it is and-"

Carolyn cut her off. "I promised I would do nothing more than just give them my support. And as much as I want to be there watching them, I know I wouldn't be able to handle it. Kathleen is flying in tomorrow. She wants to help and she says it's no big deal, so we weren't going to stop her. She'll be watching the kids until you're out of here."

Amy was surprised at first, but she quickly realized that it wasn't so shocking after all. They were just one of those families that was always there for each other.

"You raised a good bunch of kids mom, if I do say so myself."

Carolyn laughed. "Well, I had a good bunch of kids to raise. It made all the difference."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

When Richard walked through the front door of his house after the last few days from hell, he felt like he could breathe for the first time in a little while. He hadn't made it ten steps in before Adele came rushing in from the hall.

"Oh Richard," she said as he brought him in for a hug. "How… how is everyone? Is everything okay?"

He had left Seattle Pres just before Amy had gone into surgery, even though he didn't know that was where she was headed, and had gone straight back to Seattle Grace. He had called his wife to let her know about what was going on, and that he wouldn't be home until probably late the next day. But after having spent the night tossing and turning at work, he knew he would be of no help today. So he took Adele by the hand and dragged her into the living room where he could just sit down and relax for a few moments.

"Amy and Cristina were both fine before I left Seattle Pres yesterday and I haven't heard any bad news about them so I'm taking that as a good sign. Julian woke up last night and his recovery is remarkable. He won't be there too long, I can tell. As for Mark… He hasn't woken up yet, but we're all keeping our fingers crossed."

"And Meredith?"

Richard shook his head. "She's watching out for everyone else, because that's just how she is. She won't let anyone worry about her, but I think that she's just perfectly okay. You can't tell she went through her own hell just two days ago when you see her, talk to her. She's one strong girl."

Adele nodded. "And how are you? You look exhausted."

Richard sighed. "It's only just the beginning…"

Adele gave him a confused look.

"Adele, I know that when I told you that Derek was taking leave, I wouldn't be the one to replace him, but…"

Adele nodded. "With everything that just happened…"

Richard nodded too. "He needs me more than ever right now. And he's taken an early leave since he has to look out for Amy and Julian, and Lexie, and Kayla, Alyssa and Daniel, on top of his own family. I know he's going through much more than I am right now, and that I wouldn't feel right not taking some of it off his shoulders. I start back as chief temporarily tomorrow."

Adele rested a reassuring hand on his lap. "I completely understand Richard. You wouldn't be you if you didn't take the job." She took a deep breath before she looked back up to her husband. "His original replacement… It was Mark, wasn't it?"

Richard nodded. "I was there when Derek asked him. God, he was so excited. It was like watching a kid on Christmas morning…"

Adele rested her head on Richard's shoulder. "Everything will be fine, I can just feel it."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Hello? Anyone here?"

Catherine opened the door to Finn's place and let herself in. She had just gotten off work, and the only thought on her mind was finding her daughter. After the past few days of commotion, she knew her daughter would be exhausted and she felt bad for getting stuck in at work again. But she was off work now and anxious to wrap her little girl in her arms.

The ambulances hadn't even started to arrive the day before when she had gotten the frantic call from Finn. He explained how they were stuck behind the accident and that Stephanie was really shook up by it all. She had eventually gotten a glimpse of the mess, and Finn knew right away it was a scene that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Catherine told him that if he had any problems, to call her and that she would call when things calmed down at the hospital.

It was very late when they finally did.

When she called him again that evening, it was very late and she didn't feel like getting into the details of what was going on at the hospital. He told her that as soon as they had gotten back to his house, he had settled Stephanie down in his room and stayed with her. She hadn't said a word since the explosion and Finn was very worried. The look in her eyes was one of fear, and the tears brimmed her orbs, but never falling out. When she fell asleep, Finn didn't have the heart to leave her. So he stayed with her, eventually falling asleep in the chair in the corner of his room. It was the phone call that had woken him up nearly eight hours later.

And Stephanie just slept through it all.

He assured Catherine that he had no problem keeping her there for the night. She was still asleep and he didn't want to bother her either. She did, however, wake up once, and although she didn't say anything, Finn knew by the sudden awakening and the startled look in her eyes, that she had had a nightmare. And more than likely, the scene of the accident had been a part of it. He comforted her as best as he could, and she fell back asleep.

It was now eight thirty in the morning, and Catherine climbed the stairs up to Finn's upper loft over top of his clinic. She smiled sadly when she found her boyfriend asleep on his own couch.  
She didn't want to wake him, and in the end, she didn't need to. Finn stirred, and eventually opened his eyes, noticing Catherine standing there right away. He sat up and without any words, invited her to come sit with him. She did as he silently indicated and took a seat beside him on the couch.

"How is she?" Catherine finally asked as Finn rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

He sighed. "She hasn't said a single word since she saw the scene. I… I'm really worried about her… I… I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have taken her out with me, but I didn't want to leave her in the car and I needed to know what was happening and- "

Catherine cut him off. "Stop. You know this isn't your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. She'll be okay, she just needs to recover, just like the many people in the accident."

Finn nodded. He looked Catherine in the eye for the first time since she sat down. "How are you holding up? I'm sure you've had a long night."

Catherine shook her head. "You… You have no idea."

Finn pulled her closer. "You can tell me."

"I… I spent half the day yesterday in the ER operating on one of my best friends husbands and when it was finally over, I got dragged into a second surgery because they needed extra hands, only to find out that it was a colleague I'm really close to and that everyone in the hospital loves and who's fiancée I'm good friends with too and… Oh God, I just can't hold it in anymore…"

Finn wrapped his arms around her tightly as she started to shake. "You don't need to. It's just me and you…"

Catherine was about to nod, but the tears caught her first. She cried as Finn stroked her back.

When finally she had settled down, she pulled herself out of his arms a little so she could sit up. "I'm sorry about that," she apologized quickly as she wiped away the remnants of tears.

Finn shook his head. "You don't need to apologize. I'm glad you let it out. Now, if you want to talk about everything…"

Catherine nodded. "Yeah… I… Julian, Amy's husband was the first patient I went into surgery with. I… I didn't know anything other than what had happened to him. I didn't know if the kids were okay, where they were, and where Amy was either, but I needed to just forget about all that and get through surgery. When I got out, I was going to go find someone who could tell me where they were, but I didn't get the chance. They pulled me into another surgery because the nurse who was supposed to be in the surgery couldn't compose herself. Apparently she had slept with Mark a few years back and she couldn't handle seeing him on the table, barely hanging on to life."

Finn looked at her shocked. "Both Julian and Mark… Catherine, how… You're so strong… I couldn't have done that… It's no wonder you're so upset. I…"

Catherine shook her head. "I only found out after the second surgery that Amy was in the accident too but that the kids weren't. I spent the day worrying about them… I mean, with Stephanie and Kayla being the best of friends, and Amy and I becoming so close too, I've gotten to know all of them very well. And Cristina was in the accident too, and everyone… Everyone is just a mess. I… I spent the night checking on Julian and Mark, and Amy and Cristina are at Seattle Pres, so I didn't get the chance to go see them too, but it's just… I…"

"Mommy?"

Catherine's head shot up when she heard her daughter's voice. She jumped up from the couch and rushed over to her daughter.

"Sweetie, oh Steph, I'm so happy to see you!" She brought her daughter in for a long hug, one her daughter returned with as much force. She never wanted to let go.

Stephanie stayed quiet, and Catherine knew she needed to talk to her about what she saw. "Stephanie, I need to tell you something very important."

Stephanie nodded quickly as she clutched her mother's hand.

"Well, you know the big accident you saw yesterday?"

Stephanie flinched at the thought of the accident, but nodded.

"Well, Kayla's mommy and daddy were in it. But they are both okay, okay?"

Stephanie nodded. "Is… Kayla okay?"

Catherine nodded. "Yes, she's with Addison. What do you say we go see them later?"

Stephanie nodded, and Catherine knew that if Stephanie were to see that Amy was okay, then she might not be as scarred by what she saw.

"I'm going to bring her home," Catherine said to Finn, who hadn't gotten up from his seat, but watched them carefully.

"Sounds good," he said.

"Thank you Finn, again. I… don't know what I'd do without you…"

Finn smiled as he got up and gave her a quick kiss. "You don't have to worry about that."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX  
"What?!"

After having spent a good hour in the NICU with Derek and the babies, Meredith returned to her room where she sat watching TV and got started on a book she had been told she needed to read. She hated that she couldn't do anything more, but with Julian asleep and Mark… well… She knew there was no one she could keep company really, so she returned to her room where she could just breathe for a little while.

It was around ten when her person called her.

"I'm engaged Meredith! Jackson proposed last night and… well, I said yes!"

Meredith smiled. "Well of course you said yes! I would have shot you had you turned him down! Is he there right now?"

"No, he left about twenty minutes ago. I made him go home. He spent the night with me last night and so I forced him to leave today, get some actual sleep, a shower, whatever."

Meredith looked over to the door when she heard a knock and the door opened.

She laughed.

"Let's just say your fiancé doesn't listen too well," she said with a smirk.

"I swear, if he's sitting in your hospital room after I sent him home…"

Meredith laughed as Jackson sat down in the seat beside her bed. "I'll tell him you said hi," she said into the phone as she winked at Jackson.

"You better tell him I have something to say about this," Cristina said with a laugh. "Well, I'll be by to visit tomorrow. They're releasing me in the morning. You tell him that!"

Meredith smiled. "That's great news! And I will."

With that she hung up and turned to her visitor.

"Cristina not happy with me already?" Jackson said with a laugh.

"You will learn quickly that you should always listen to your fiancée," Meredith said with a smile. "Congratulations though! I knew that you'd do it soon. It's just too bad it had to happen in such terrible circumstances."

Jackson shook his head. "I was going to propose yesterday anyway. The accident just made me realize how important it was that I did it right away."

Meredith reached over and gave him a lopsided hug. "I'm happy for you guys."

Jackson smiled. "Thank you."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"You sure you're okay with this sweetie. We don't need to go in."

Catherine watched as her daughter hesitated before nodding, and walking to Amy's hospital room. She stayed quiet the entire drive and had one of her old teddies clutched in her hand. Catherine knew that she looked to that teddy bear for comfort every time something happened. She hadn't, however, seen the teddy since their own accident and it worried her a little bit.

"Catherine," Amy said with a smile when she noticed her friend come through the door.

Catherine approached the bed and gave her friend a quick hug. "How are you doing?"

Amy nodded. "I'm doing alright actually." She looked down at Stephanie. "Kayla and the others just went down to the cafeteria for lunch with Addison."

Carolyn, who had stayed in the room, got up from her seat and came over to the young girl. "I can take you down to go see them if you'd like?"

Stephanie looked up to her mother, who nodded encouragingly, and after a few moments of hesitation, she let go of her mother's hand to clutch Carolyn's, someone she had gotten to know quite well during the last few months, having spent a lot of time with Kayla.

As soon as the two of them had left, Catherine took a seat in one of the few chairs placed beside Amy's bed.

"Is she alright?" Amy asked referring to Stephanie. "I have never seen her so quiet and shy since I've known her. What happened?"

Catherine sighed. "Her and Finn had been driving back to his place from the hospital when they ended up stuck in the traffic from the accident. Finn wanted to know what was happening, but didn't want to leave her alone in the car, so the two of them went to see what was going on… She saw the mess, and now… That's not something a child her age should have to see. She hadn't talked until I got there this morning. Finn… He was so worried about her, but he didn't know what to do… I… I'm really worried about her too…"

"The poor thing…" Amy said as she just imagined what the little girl was going through.

Catherine shook her head. "I… I thought that if she saw that you were okay, and she could associate you to what she saw yesterday, she'd feel a little better. I think having Kayla too will help her maybe shake it off a little."

Amy smiled sadly. "They can use each other for support I'm sure. Those girls are crazy inseparable."

Catherine nodded. "Are they ever."

Just then, the four kids, along with Carolyn and Addison came prancing in. Catherine watched as the two girls went on about what they were probably missing at school today. She looked back up at Amy, who smiled and gave her a wink.

"Mommy, why am I not at school today?" Stephanie finally asked as she took a seat on her mother's lap.

Catherine gave her daughter a hug. "I think that you deserved a day or two off." After having spent Saturday stuck in the elevator, then yesterday with the accident, she didn't have the heart to send her daughter to school where everyone would be talking about the crazy weekend.

It was then that a nurse came into the room, and laughed at all of the visitors.

"You've got quite the bunch of visitors Dr Corrigan," she said as she checked her charts.

Amy smiled. "I definitely do."

The nurse sent her a smile. "I was just here to tell you that the doctor that did your surgery requested we have you transported to Seattle Grace/Mercy West so that she can keep a better eye on you. There will be an ambulance here to transport you in not too long."

Amy tried her hardest to keep her focus on the nurse, as she nodded and thanked her, as did the rest of the people in the room, but as soon as the nurse left, Amy spun to face Addison who had a huge grin on her face.

"Addison! You're on maternity leave! You're not even at the hospital!"

Addison laughed. "That doesn't mean that I can't do what I would normally do anyway. You know as well as I do that you'd be much better off at Grace and it'll make things much easier on everyone. And the chiefs, the actual one and the replacement one, had no issues with the transfer. Besides, Cristina is being released from here tomorrow and I didn't want you stuck here when you clearly belong at home. And since you can't actually be home, Seattle Grace was as close as it got."

Amy smiled. "Thank you, so much Addie. I…"

"Don't mention it."

Catherine, who had stayed quiet until then, needed answers .

"Amy… why was Addie your doctor…?"

Amy smiled.

Catherine smiled in response.

"Congratulations, I take it, are in order?"

Everyone just smiled and felt they could be joyous for the first time in what seemed like quite a while.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

When Julian woke up that evening, he was sure he was seeing things. The doctor had warned him that he could have hallucinations for a little while, but this seemed so real.

"Amy, is… is that really you?"

Amy smiled from her seat in her wheelchair next to her husband's bedside. "It's really me."

Julian smiled as he sat up and took his wife's hands into his. "I… What… what are you doing here?"

Amy rubbed the back of her husband's hands as she spoke. "Addison got me here, her being my doctor and all. Because she works here, she asked if I could be transferred since I was her patient. I know that it was just so I could be closer to everyone else here though, so I definitely owe Addie one."

Julian nodded. "I think the world owes Addison Montgomery a few." He shook his head. "God, it's great to see for myself that you're okay."

Amy nodded. "Likewise. I… I couldn't help but worry that I'd find you… I don't know, but to see you like this, with nothing more than just a few bandages and wires, it comforts me, knowing that we didn't end up so bad."

Julian sighed. "I know what you mean… Any news on Mark?"

Amy shook her head sadly. "I rolled on by earlier, and Lexie was at his bedside… I hope someone's making sure she's okay… I mean, it's too much for her to handle, especially with the fact that the wedding is just around the corner… Hopefully… I… I'm going to have to talk to Meredith and Derek, make sure that someone's taking care of her too…"

"We are, don't worry."

Amy and Julian both looked up and smiled when they saw everyone who just arrived.

Kayla and Alyssa bounced up onto their father's bed, but very carefully as they had been told that their dad was still hurting. Carolyn pushed Meredith's wheelchair as Daniel sat on her lap, playing with her curls.

"Meredith! Is it ever good to see you," Amy said with a smile as Carolyn parked the wheelchairs side by side.

Meredith shook her head. "I should be the one saying that. How are you?"

Amy shrugged. "I've been better. But I'm doing good, all things considering."  
Meredith nodded as she reached over and rested her hand on her sister's knee.

"I didn't get to give you my words of congratulations yet!" she said with a smile. "I was waiting until I saw you in person."

Amy smiled. "Thank you. You know, I'm actually really excited about this," she said, as she shifted her gaze from Meredith, to Julian, to her mother, finally landing on her three kids. "They're the greatest joy in the world. One more has got to make it even better, right?"

Carolyn smiled. "I had you last, didn't I?"

Everyone laughed.

"Soon everything will be back to normal, and we'll be able to celebrate properly," Julian said. "We'll be able to celebrate everything."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Addison! A minute?"

Addison turned when she heard her name being called and was surprised when she saw Derek heading her way.

"Of course, Derek. What is it?"

Derek looked around, and decided that the middle of the hallway was not the place to discuss this. "Could we maybe take this to my office?"

Addison nodded, but was slightly nervous. "Derek, is everything alright? It's not Meredith or the babies, is it? Everything was fine earlier... Did anything happen today? Did anything –"

They had finally reached his office and as soon as Derek had closed the door, he started. "Meredith is fine Addison. She's not the one I'm worried about anymore."

Addison nodded slowly. "Amy then? I mean, I know it was quick to move her, but you gave me the okay and I figured it was better for her here so –"

Derek shook his head. "No, Addison. I... You've done so much for my family, with Meredith and Amy and just... I know that technically you're on leave, but –"

Addison rolled her eyes. "Derek, I'm never on leave when it comes to family. You guys are pretty much all still family to me. Just get to the point already."

Derek sighed. "It's Lexie I'm worried about."

Addie didn't know how to reply. "Okay..." She looked at Derek for an explanation. "Do you want me to talk to her, tell her that everything will be okay...? I mean, Kathleen will be here tomorrow. Why not get her to talk to Lexie? I know it's tough for her, going through this. God, this is Mark we're talking about. I think it's killing half of the hospital. And you know that Lexie and I are close, but what am I going to help her with more than any of you guys can?"

Derek paced as Addison went on and on. Rather than cut her off, he waited until she was done before making his point.

"Addison, there's only so much reassuring we can do for a person in Lexie's state. That's not why I came to you Addie. I want you to set up a check up..."

Addison's eyes went wide. "Derek, is there something that you haven't told me yet...?"

Derek sighed. "We promised we'd keep it to ourselves, but I'm really worried about her health and Addie, I know you're the best in your field, especially when the people involved are as close as family. Addison, Lexie's pregnant and she needs a check up."

Addison fell onto the couch as she took it in. "Lexie's pregnant, and Mark's in a coma. God... I... I can't imagine what she's going through... I mean, I can just see how Mark reacted when he got the news. He's been waiting for this and now... This is twisted..."

Derek shook his head. "Addie... Mark doesn't know yet."

Her head shot up. "What?"

Derek took a seat beside her. "She only found out last night and her and Mark had been in an argument. She didn't get the chance to tell him."

Addison shook her head slowly as it all registered. "This is..." She got up from her seat. "I'm going to go find her."

Derek nodded. "Thank you Addison. You're a life saver. Literally."

It didn't take any time at all for her to make it to Mark's room, where Lexie still sat, holding her fiancé's hand. When she opened the sliding door, Lexie looked up and Addison could see the exhaustion in her features.

"Lexie... I... I want to talk to you..."

Lexie nodded before she looked back down at Mark's lifeless body. "Okay."

Addison looked around the room. "Could you maybe come with me?"

Lexie looked back up at her. "I... I don't want to leave him alone... What if... what if he wakes up?"

"I can stay here."

The two women looked up to find Callie in the doorway.

"I was coming by to see... To see if you needed company and maybe a break, go down to the cafeteria maybe, get out of here for a little while. I'll... I'll call you if there is any change at all, I promise."

Lexie looked back down at Mark, hesitating, before getting up and following Addison.

"Where are we going?"

Addison stayed quiet as she led them up to the maternity ward.

"I'm going to sneak you in, okay?" she finally said as she reached the check-up area.

"Addison, why are we..."

As soon as they were in the check-up room and the door was closed, Addison explained herself. "Lexie, your family is very worried about you... They want to make sure you're okay, and that your baby is okay..."

Lexie flopped down onto the exam table. "Derek told you, didn't he? I mean, after everything you've done for Meredith, he figures that you can help me the way that you helped her, huh?" She didn't wait for Addison to answer as she continued. "There's only one difference here. I'm not suffering because of my pregnancy. I'm suffering because my fiancé, this baby's father may never wake up. He may never know he's going to be a father! I can't... I can't..."

Addison saw it coming before the tears poured. Lexie's breakdown was good in a way. She needed to let her emotions free and not hold back. That was a good sign.

Addison approached her and hesitantly pulled her arms around the young woman. When she didn't fight her, she held her closer and rubbed her back as she sobbed.

"I know, I know. Things seem hopeless right now. But they're not. They're not because Mark is a fighter, just like everyone else in this huge bunch of people we think of as family. That's what makes us a family. We fight because we know that there's someone out there that needs us. And Mark knows that you need him. He wouldn't be able to leave you like this. And he won't." Addison pulled back and wiped a few of Lexie's loose tears. "What do you say we make sure that your little one is as strong and as much of a fighter as the rest of us?"

**I just wanted to mention that most of this chapter was written before last year's plane crash and Mark's condition is nothing but a coincidence. Hope you guys enjoyed ! **


	65. Cracked

**I'm a horrible person, I know. But to make it up to you guys, I'm posting the 6 remaining chapters all this weekend. I apologize, even though it's not enough!**_  
_

"How are they?"

Meredith looked up from where she was sitting with her son to find Carolyn standing in the doorway. She got up from the rocking chair and made her way over to where her daughter was. She passed Keegan to his grandmother and then reached down and picked up Kelsey. Both of the babies were quiet, no fussing or mussing, and this made Meredith all the more happy.

"They're doing great," Meredith said with a great big smile. "Addie calls them her miracle babies. She says that babies as premature as these two and that went through what they went through wouldn't be nearly this strong or weigh nearly this much this quick after only a week and a half. So I'm very proud of both of my little munchkins."

Carolyn smiled as she cradled her grandson closer. "And how about you? How are you doing?"

Meredith sighed as the two of them took a seat. "I'll be honest with you, because I know you'll catch me in my lies if I'm not." Carolyn smirked. "It's been tough, you know? It's hard enough to deal with two premature newborns, but having to worry about everyone else too… I mean, being released yesterday was a relief, it made me feel a little more able to help, but at the same time it added that much more pressure on my shoulders. I constantly worry about Lexie, and I know a lot of people do, but I just can't imagine what she's going through… It's been a week and a half and Mark still isn't awake, and Addie's doing her best to remind her that she needs to take care of herself because of the baby, but she's just so lost… And Amy, well I mean, you know as well as I do that Amy is still not completely back. The kids, God, those kids have gone through so much yet they are the most precious angels and Amy couldn't have been any luckier, but at the same time, not having to deal with misbehaving kids gives her more time to just think, and thinking leads to Julian. And with Julian's case… Just when we all thought he was in the clear…" Meredith shook her head. "The extra surgery means that he won't be out for at least another week, which leaves Amy alone for even longer. And Kathleen being here does help, but she leaves tomorrow and what will happen then? I'm just glad Cristina isn't stuck in all this post accident trauma. She's lucky all she came out of there with was a broken leg and an engagement ring. No emotional stress really, other than for the others. I… I want to be there for everyone but I feel like it's just all too much…"

Carolyn nodded, glad Meredith really opened up to her. "I know what you mean. But your job right now is to be here for your babies. Keep an eye on Lexie too, of course. Amy and Julian, I can handle them, along with the kids. You stay focused on your little family for now, okay?"

Meredith nodded. "Okay."

Carolyn sighed. "Where's Derek in all of this?"

Meredith looked up to the sky. "I… I don't know… In the beginning, he was here and with Kayla and Alyssa and Daniel. He was getting through everything, but lately… I… Richard took me home yesterday when they released me. I hadn't seen Derek since they had told me about my release and I couldn't seem to contact him… It wasn't until I came back yesterday afternoon after having spent a few hours at home just recollecting my thoughts and my strength that I ran into him in the hallway and he mentioned how he hadn't seen much of me all day. How was I supposed to tell him it was because I hadn't been around when he didn't even know I had been released? And I know he's worried about everyone too, especially Mark, but… And I don't want to sound selfish or anything, but we need him too… He has two kids here who I don't think he has come to see in at least two days and… God, all of this just doesn't seem right… It's just not fair, for anyone."

Carolyn looked up into Meredith's eyes, tears threatening to spill out of both of them. "None of this is fair… This was supposed to be your time to be joyous and celebrate Kelsey and Keegan. And it's far from being selfish asking for a little more time from your husband. As much as Derek wants to worry about Mark, or Amy, or Julian, or whoever else, his job is to make sure that his family, meaning the three of you, are safe and okay. You went through a trauma just like the rest of them, you're just better at hiding it. It's not fair, for anyone what's going on, no, but it's also not fair either that you have to suffer more than you need to because my son is being an idiot. And I'll make sure he knows that and that he hears it from me."

Meredith let out a small smile. "Thank you Carolyn, for everything. I… I know you have more pressing things to worry about too, but thank you, for being here… I truly appreciate it…"

"I'm worried about you just as much as I'm worried about all the others Meredith. You need people more than ever right now too and it's such a shame that people don't think about that because of everything else that is happening. Anytime you need someone, I'm here for you. All of you."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

It had been a long week at Seattle Grace. Chaotic. They were short on staff, and some very important staff too. And although some staff was supposed to have had this time off, there was no possible way the hospital was getting through without some of them.

"Addison, you're supposed to be off…"

Addison looked into Richard's eyes as she stood in his office and she shook her head. "Yeah, well your doctors aren't supposed to be in hospital bed instead of in the OR. You're head of Trauma should be in the ER, not living her own trauma over and over again in her head. Your residents aren't supposed to be doped up on painkillers and mourning at their fiancés bedside. And the man who was supposed to be sitting in that seat while the other one was supposed to be off helping his wife, also another resident might I add, recover after what she just went through, he's in a coma and may never wake up! So no, I'm not supposed to be here, and neither are you, and none of this shit was supposed to happen, but it did. And so now we're here."

Richard got out of his seat and rushed to Addison's side as she collapsed onto the couch in tears.

"Addie, are you alright?"

Addison wiped away her tears quickly. "No not really, but that doesn't matter right now."

Richard shook his head. "Of course it matters! Addison, you need time to recover too. What you went through last week, with the elevator, and having to operate on your best friend's wife… I'm sorry to say, but you're not stable enough to be anywhere near patients right now."

Addison sighed. "I… I was fine after the surgery. Once I knew Meredith and the babies were fine, I was fine. But… I don't know what happened. It all hit me and all of a sudden I wasn't okay anymore. I…"

Just then, Richard's pager went off and he gave Addison an apologetic look.

"Go," she said. "If I can't do anything, the least I can do is make sure the people who still can do something do something. Richard…"

"You stay here for a little while Addie, okay? Sleep, relax, compose yourself. Just…"

She nodded. "I will. I…"

"We'll talk later."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I can't tell you how grateful I am to have had you around," Amy said as her and Kathleen sat at the table that morning after having shipped the girls to school and preschool and having brought Daniel back to the babysitters. Amy felt like they needed to put the kids back into their regular schedules again before too long as to keep them distracted and back on track in life. The sooner things went back to normal, the easier it would be.

"It's what sisters are for," Kathleen reassured her. "I… I've kept my distance Amy, let you just stay reserved and haven't bothered you while the kids were around, but… What the hell happened? I mean, I know how the accident happened, but… You… I know you had to have surgery. What it was for, no one will tell me. But I've heard enough about this accident to know that you were fine when you got to Seattle Pres because that's where the people that didn't need surgery went. So… What happened?" She was really starting to worry about her little sister. She wasn't looking very good and she didn't smile the way she used to. She knew that, obviously, she was still really worried about her husband, especially after they had to take him into surgery for a second time, but she knew there was more to it than just that.

"I'm pregnant Kath," she came right out with it, no hesitating, no consideration for her sister's reaction. Kathleen went silent with shock. How had she spent the week here and not figured out that her sister was pregnant? "I found out the night before the accident. I was… Well, I was shocked. We hadn't talked about it, and mom's the one who basically told me I was pregnant." She said this while staring straight ahead, not daring to look in her sister's direction, afraid of the reaction painted on her face. "I… We had just told the kids, and then we dropped them off at a friend's house because Kayla and Alyssa had a play date. When we got there, we told them about how Meredith and Derek had just given birth to two beautiful babies and if there were any problems that we'd be at the hospital. Jolene, the kids' friends' mom insisted she keep Daniel with her too, so that we could spend some much needed time with everyone and not have to worry about him. We told her we didn't want to be a bother and assured her that it was fine that Daniel stayed with us, but she insisted…" She looked over at her sister for the first time. "Kath, Daniel was supposed to be in the car with us. We… We were hit from the back. There is nothing left to the back of our car… He… he wouldn't have survived the collision… I have nightmares, almost every night about it. I… He was supposed to be in the car and that's all I can think about. And yes, surgery was because of the baby. Addie performed it, because there were no other doctors available and she wasn't going to watch when she knew she could do something. That's how I ended up at Seattle Grace, because she was my doctor and she requested it. And so right now, I have four kids to worry about and a husband who God knows when he will be okay. So no, I'm not all here lately, and I'm sorry I have shut you out. I just… I'm recovering."

Kathleen brought her sister into her arms who, up until that moment, hadn't shed a single tear as she poured her heart out, but as soon as she felt the strong supporting arms take her in, she cracked.

"Amy, everything is okay and will be okay. Julian's going to be fine, you and this baby are going to be fine, you're kids are going to be fine and more importantly, Daniel wasn't in that car and he is fine. Things will be okay, just watch."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek had spent a lot of the last few days with Lexie at Mark's bedside. After a week and there was still no sign that Mark was going to wake up, Derek cracked. He was sure that Mark would make it through this, that he'd pull through, but he was starting to lose hope and so he spent what little time he may have left with his brother at his bedside.

He thought back on their life together. He had met Mark while playing baseball together one summer, when they were about six years old. While Derek's parents, his two younger sisters, and usually one or both of his older sisters came to mostly every game, Mark hadn't had that. Derek always had someone in the stands, and Mark was lucky if his dad remembered to pick him up after a game.

Derek still remembered the day where, nearly an hour and a half after the game, him and his mom were heading into the store to pick up groceries when they passed the baseball field and noticed the boy alone in the stands, soaked from head to toe. The rain had started up near the end of the game and had gotten worse as the minutes passed. Mark, however, sat there, taking it all, as if it was something he was used to.

"_Derek, isn't that your friend Mark from the team?"_

_Derek nodded quickly as he looked out the window. _

_His mother turned into the parking lot and shut off the car. "Let's go see what's going on."_

_Derek jumped out of the car and followed his mother over to the stands._

"_What are you doing here sweetie?" Carolyn said as she sat beside the boy on the soaking wet bench. Derek just stood to see what would happen. _

"_I'm waiting for my dad to pick me up," Mark replied with a shrug._

_Carolyn seemed shocked. "Have you been here since the game this morning?"_

_Mark nodded. "He's later than usual. But it happens sometimes."_

_Carolyn looked at her son, then turned back to Mark. "What do you say about getting out of these wet clothes and spending the day with Derek and me? I always have some extra clothes in the back of the car. I'm sure Derek wouldn't mind letting you borrow some, would he?"_

_Derek quickly shook his head._

"_What do you say? We're just heading into town, and then we're going back to our place. You can call your dad from there if you'd like."_

"_He'll be mad if he comes here and I'm gone," Mark said, wanting to take the offer, but unsure about his father's reaction._

"_I'll deal with him," Carolyn said with a wave of the hand. _

"_Come on Mark," Derek said, offering him his hand. "You can be my brother for the day! I've always wanted one of those."_

_Mark smiled. "Me too."_

_And as soon as the little boy's hands interlinked, the world had shifted and Mark had become a Shepherd. _

He had spent the rest of that summer pretty much living at the Shepherd's. When Carolyn had called Mark's father to tell him where he was and to give him a piece of her mind, he didn't seem to care all that much. Carolyn knew he was drunk, could hear it in the way he slurred his words. So, she invited Mark to stay the night and before the end of the summer, Derek had bunk beds in his room and there was always an extra place set up at the dinner table. And by the end of the first grade, Mark had pretty much moved in. The question wasn't 'is Mark coming over today?' anymore, it was 'where's Mark?' Carolyn worried about him like she did her own children. And Derek was just glad he had gotten the brother he had always wanted.

Now, he looked down and saw very little hope. Mark had been saved once from the evil's of the world, but Derek didn't know if he'd get the same fate this time around. And unlike last time, Carolyn and Derek couldn't do anything for him but stay strong. It was getting harder and harder as the days went by though. And without even realizing it, Derek had pushed everything else out of the way so he could be by Mark's bedside, holding onto the memories he had of them.

"I'm… I am going to the bathroom and then down to the cafeteria," Lexie said as she got up. "Do you need… Do you want anything?"

Derek shook his head. Lexie left quietly and for a few seconds, it was only Mark and Derek.

But that ended quickly.

"Can I come in for a minute?"

Derek looked up and at his mother before nodding and inviting her to take a seat in Lexie's chair. They stayed quiet for a few moments, both thinking about everything Mark had been to them in the past, but Carolyn had a point to get to and she was going to get to it.

"I'm ashamed of you Derek. I really am."

Derek shot his head up and looked at his mother. "What…?"

"I really didn't think you'd become this guy…"

Derek didn't understand. "I… I don't get it…"

"I get that you worry about Mark, but you can't be spending every waking minute by his side Derek. You have other things to worry about."

Derek shook his head. "Mom, I… He could not make it and I… He's my brother and I just… How can you be mad at me for being here for him?"

It was Carolyn's turn to shake her head. "You don't get it Derek. I know that you're worried about him, but you're forgetting about everyone else."

"I –"

Carolyn cut him off. "No, you're going to listen to me. Just because you're down because of Mark's state, doesn't mean you can just forget about your responsibilities Derek. You have kids now! How are they, by the way? When was the last time you took the effort to go up that elevator and hold them and assure them that their daddy was there for them and that he loved them very much? When?"

Derek stayed quiet and as the realization hit him, he hung his head.

"That's what I thought. And what about Meredith? When was the last time you saw her, talked to her, comforted her, made sure she was okay?"

"I… I talked to her yesterday evening… I…"

"You talked to her yesterday when she came to see you, here, because you can't make an effort to see if she's okay. Richard had to drive her home yesterday for crying out loud because her husband was too busy to care!"

Derek's eyes grew wider. "Meredith was released?"

Carolyn huffed. "Yeah, and let's just say I'm not the only who's not impressed with how you are treating them right now. Addison wanted to give you a piece of her mind when she went to release Meredith yesterday and you weren't there for her. She spent hours home alone yesterday Derek. Hours she should have spent relaxing with you. She can't do this alone and you sure as hell better not force her to go through this by herself. You can't do this to her Derek."

Derek sobbed into his hands as his mother lectured him. This was far from being the first time he got a lecture like this from his mother and he was sure it wasn't going to be the last. But hearing all this really made him open his eyes.

"I… Shit, mom… why am I such a terrible person for always doing this to her? I… She's never done anything to deserve any of this and I… I just keep… I…"

Carolyn took her son's hand in hers and when he looked up at her, she gave him a small smile. "Derek, go find your wife."

He didn't hesitate when he got up and nodded, a silent thank you floating in his eyes. He didn't even look back, and Carolyn was glad to see that he had found himself.

It was only moments later when Lexie entered the room, shocked to see Carolyn there instead of Derek.

"Carolyn, I… Where did Derek go?"

"He's… he's with the people who really need him right now. What about you Lexie? How are you holding up?"

Lexie took the seat that Derek had previously occupied. "I… Carolyn, how the hell did all of this happen?"

Carolyn sighed. "Well first of all, if you call me Carolyn again I am going to have to get serious." This made Lexie smile. It was a very small smile, but it was a smile all the same. "Second, I don't know, I really don't, but there's a reason for everything. "

Lexie reached out and took Mark's lifeless hand. "I… Do you think he'll be okay?"

Carolyn reached out and rested her hand atop of theirs. "I really want to believe he will be, so that's how I'm going to think right now, no matter the odds. Remember that."

Lexie nodded. "I… If Mark… If he… I'm going to need you and I… I fear that if Mark's not here, you… you won't be either…"

Carolyn wrapped her fingers around Lexie's hand as she said this. "Lexie, hun, you are speaking nonsense. You're one of my daughters now, no matter what. I will be wherever you need me, whenever you need me. I… I'm here for you sweetie, no matter what, and don't you ever doubt that."

Lexie nodded quickly. "Okay."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Derek stood in the window of the NICU, not being able to tear his eyes off of the scene before him. Meredith was sitting in a chair in the corner, both bundles resting in her arms. The sight made his heart break and swell all at once. Break, because he thought about her going through this alone because of his stupid decisions, and swell because he saw the mother in her shining more than ever. He didn't want to interrupt the moment, but at the same time, he wanted to be a part of it so badly, that it finally overcame and he walked into the room.

"Alone with two babies in the NICU. Your husband must either be absent or an idiot. Or both."

Meredith looked up as soon as she heard that voice that she knew so well and couldn't help but look away quickly.

"I'm… I'm sorry Meredith. I've been such a horrible person, such a horrible husband and father. I…. I pushed you away when I should have been by your side more than ever and for that I am sincerely and forever sorry. I'm such a jerk, and I can't ever express to you how much I love you and our babies. And I'm not going to ask for forgiveness, because I know I don't deserve it, but at least understand how sorry I am and let me make it up to you."

Meredith looked up and into his eyes and noticed right away how tired and sad they truly looked. She nodded slowly and then looked back down at her two babies.

"Meredith, I'll do anything for you, anything at all. What can I do to make it up to you?"

She looked back up at him, then at the chair beside hers. "You can pull up a chair and maybe hold one of your babies for a little while for starters. They're starting to miss their daddy."

Derek immediately did so. Once he was seated and his son was cradled in his arms, he smiled. "I… I still can't believe they're really here…"

Meredith finally smiled slightly as she caught the look on Derek's face. "I know… It feels… Amazing."

Derek looked up at his wife. "How are you doing? I mean, take out everything that happened because of the accident and talk to me about how you are really and truly doing."

Meredith shook her head and her smile got a little brighter. "I've been great. I mean, other than everything with the accident and all the commotion that came with it. I… I was released yesterday, got to go home for a few hours. Spent some time with Cristina and Izzie, and for a moment, I got to just forget about everything happening in the hospital. Other than these two of course."

Derek sighed. "I… I should have been there when you were released Meredith and… I'll regret having pushed you out for the rest of my life. I know that Mark is –"

Meredith cut him off. "Derek, all you need to do is find a balance. Mark is your brother, I know that, and you want – no you need – to spend as much time with him as you can, and if it were just me, I wouldn't be in the least bit against you spending all your time at his bedside Derek. Hell, I'd be where you are right now if it were someone I was that close with… But for Kelsey and Keegan's sakes, find some time, even if it's just a few times a day, you need to find some time to come visit them, make sure they're okay too. It's not just me and you anymore Derek."

Derek nodded. "You know what? I… I didn't realize how much I needed out of that room until Mom made me realize it. I… I need you right now Meredith, more than ever, and the kids too, so don't give up hope on me, even if I'm being a total jerk about everything. I… I'll be here, more than there from now on, I promise. I want to be here. Mark… He's Mark and I know that in no time at all he'll be complaining about the bad stitching job a resident did on the cuts on his face. I… I know he'll be okay. So I'm going to be here for you since I'm no good at his bedside. At least here, I know I'm where I'm supposed to be."


	66. A time for thanks

"I've got to say, I am shocked, but it looks like this is it Meredith."

Meredith looked up from the babies and back at Addison's beaming face. "Really?"

Addison nodded and smiled. "Kelsey and Keegan can go home today."

Meredith's face was taken over by the brightest of smiles as she leaped into Addison's arms for a hug. "I… This is…"

Carolyn laughed. "I knew these two were fighters and wouldn't be stuck here for long. They're just like their grandmother. They don't like to be patients."

Meredith smiled as she took Carolyn into her arms too. "I… Thank you for everything you've done these past several months. It's… It's all really paid off in the end, hasn't it?"

Carolyn nodded and smiled. "It really has."

Meredith finally glanced over to her husband's dumbstruck expression. "Derek? Are you okay?"

Derek just stared at Addison. "I… I… Are you…"

"We can take them home Derek!" Meredith exclaimed as she took Derek's hand's in her own.

"Are you sure? I mean, they're still so small and they're only three weeks old and –"

Addison cut him off. "Didn't you hear the whole shocked part? Miracle babies, I tell you! They've past all the requirements for preemies being released Derek. You can finally take them home."

He grabbed Meredith in his arms and held her tight for a long moment before letting go. "Then what are we waiting for?"

Meredith smiled. "I… I already know that this Thanksgiving is going to be one to remember."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

It was Thanksgiving weekend and most things had gone back to normal since the accident that had taken place three weeks ago. All of the survivors, including Julian, had been giving the okay and were released from the hospital, gone back to living their lives the way they were before the accident. Seattle Grace was free of the reminders of the accident that had caused them so much pain for so long. Free of all the reminders but one.

Mark Sloan.

There had been no sign of him waking up in the three weeks and people had started to lose hope. Everyone but his family, or the people who considered him their family, had decided he was a lost cause. However, the people close to him would not give up hope. Not until they knew there was nothing left that they could do.

"I still can't believe he hasn't pulled through yet," Richard said over top of his patient as him and Miranda were in surgery.

"Yet being the keyword," Miranda pointed out. "He's Mark Sloan. He's too cocky to go without a fight."

Richard nodded, hoping she was right.

"How's Lexie doing in all of it?" Richard asked, now directing his question to the resident present.

"I… She has barely left his bedside," Alex said with a sigh. "I forced her to go home once, dragged her with me, but by the time I had gone to check on her the next morning, she was already back at the hospital."

Richard let out a sigh. "She's not looking too good either. Frail. I… Do you think it's just due to the stress?"

"She was pretty sick before it all happened too," Miranda commented. "You don't think she's…"

Richard went wide eyed as he caught on to what Miranda was trying to say. "Oh God, I… No, she…"

Both of the doctors forgot about it quickly, but Alex didn't. Alex kept his mouth shut though, because he knew they were right to think that she was pregnant because he knew she was. And he knew that no matter what happened, she wouldn't be left by herself. He just hoped that Mark made it through so Lexie too could make it.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I'm home!"

Sam smiled as he watched Addison walk through the door and smile brightly when she turned around and found her two boys seated comfortably on the couch. She dropped her bag by the door and pulled off her coat before taking a seat beside them.

"How are the babies?" Sam asked as she passed her their own son. At two months old, he was already the joy of their lives. He could put a smile on their faces no matter how dark and dreary everything was around them.

"Babies are getting ready to go home as we speak actually," Addison said as she cooed and made faces, earning a smile from Nathaniel.

"Wow, that's great news!" Sam said as he wrapped an arm around his little family. "That'll just make this Thanksgiving event bigger and better than it was supposed to be."

Addison nodded and smiled. "You can say that again. Speaking of which…"

Sam got up from the couch. "If we want to make it there before they do, we better get going," he finished, as he read her mind.

Addison nodded and followed him, putting her jacket back on and grabbing her purse. "So much for relaxing."

Sam leaned over and gave her a quick kiss. "You'll have all the time you need for that now."

Addison rolled her eyes. "Yeah, between worrying about my last patient's sisters. Amy still isn't completely out of the woods because any surgery can affect the rest of a pregnancy and Lexie… Well Lexie is a case on a completely different level. But –"

"But for today," Sam cut off as he closed the door behind them, "for today you're not going to think about that. You're going to be thankful about what you've managed to accomplish so far. And that's miracles if I do say so myself. You're a miracle worker Addison Montgomery."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

They had spent an hour after Addison had left going over the last few test results and making sure everything was one hundred percent okay. Teddy and Arizona both checked in only to assure them that things seemed to look just fine. Carolyn had also left shortly after Addison, so it left only the little family in the nursery. When the nurses gave them the okay, Meredith and Derek, a baby carrier in each of their possessions, made their way down to Derek's car.

"Mom left pretty quickly there," Meredith commented as they settled the babies in their seats in the back.

"She probably wanted to get home and make sure everything was in place for when we get home," Derek answered, knowing it wasn't all the truth.

They settled into their seats, and once they were on the interstate, Meredith started back up. "We'll have to put the turkey in the over as soon as we get home if we want it to be ready by supper time. I… I can't believe I'm doing this whole holiday thing and that I'm excited about it Derek. I mean, come on! Meredith Grey, eating turkey on Thanksgiving instead of take-out or hospital food? That's got to be a first!"

Derek laughed. "First of all, you're no longer that Meredith anymore. You're Meredith Shepherd, bright and shiny, mommy Meredith who will have to get used to this whole holiday thing because that's what families do. Second of all, we'll have plenty of time to cook the turkey. Mom's probably already on it anyway."

Meredith nodded as she glanced back at the sleeping babies in the back seat. "They're so calm. And the nurses said they may react badly to their first car ride. They fell asleep as soon as the car started moving!"

Derek laughed. "Hopefully, they'll sleep for the entire drive." He switched quickly back to their dinner plans. "Did you make sure Lexie would come over?"

Meredith nodded. "She promised me she'd come. I told her that she needed to get out of that hospital for a while and a little bit of time with the family could do wonders on her. Plus, I think that if she and Amy don't tell each other that they're both pregnant, I will. God, they're so close and they've barely seen each other since the accident, which was when they both found out. They need to tell each other. It could do them both some good."

Derek nodded in agreement. "I'm just glad that Amy and Julian agreed to come over too. They need to get away as much as Lexie does. And not from anything more than just the confines of their house. They've probably both been going crazy, not being able to do anything. And as much as the kids have been great, they need a little break too. Plus, they'll finally be able to meet the cousins they've been so excited to meet."

Meredith smiled. "Kelsey and Keegan's first Thanksgiving and it'll be one to remember."

_You have no idea_, Derek thought.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"The surgery queen still not allowed in the OR?"

Cristina groaned as Alex took a seat beside her on the gurney and picked up one of her charts.

"I'm not allowed near patients until the cast is off. Another three weeks of charts to go," Cristina said with fake enthusiasm.

"That's if there are no issues," Alex reminded her. "It could be another two months if there were any problems."

Cristina shot him a dirty look. "Shut up Karev."

He raised his hands and laughed. "I'm just repeating what the doctor said. Hey, what happened to smiling, newly engaged Cristina?"

Cristina rolled her eyes as she grabbed her crutches and jumped off the gurney. "She got stuck with charts."

Alex grabbed her pile of charts when he noticed her struggling to hold them and her crutches.

"Thanks," she replied, softening a little bit.

"No problem, that's what friends are for," Alex said with a smirk.

Cristina smiled as they made their way onto the elevator.

"I still can't believe you're actually engaged," Alex said after a few moments in silence.

Cristina laughed. "What's so unbelievable about it? It's not like it's a first."

Alex shrugged. "I don't know. And I guess we kind of saw it coming, sorta. But I'm really happy for you guys. It really is great to see you happy. I know we haven't always been the closest of friends but lately… It just seems everyone has sort of…"

Cristina looked over at Alex. "I believe the word is matured," she answered with a smirk. "And yeah, we definitely have."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

He hated to see her like this. They hadn't been on speaking terms until just lately, but he could tell that even in that small amount of time they had spent catching up again, that his little girl was in love with this man wholeheartedly and that this was just putting her in an immense amount of pain. He didn't want to have to witness it, but wanting to be there for his daughter was a far stronger emotion than wanting to stay away.

"How is he?"

Lexie looked up from Mark and right away Thatcher could see just how tired she really was. The circles under her eyes were just the icing on the cake. Everything about her, from the way she sat to the way her eyes drooped showed her weakened emotional state and the pain she was suffering. But Thatcher took the seat beside her and took her hand in his, wanting to show her just how much he was there for her.

"He's… I… It's better… I… I think…"

Thatcher nodded. "Molly… She's worried a lot about you lately..."

"You bet she is."

The two of them looked up as Molly walked in and took the third seat in the room. "I… I would have come sooner. I… We just got back yesterday from California. Shawn… Shawn's father passed away and we've been gone all month but when we heard about Mark… I… I'm sorry I couldn't be here sooner for you Lex… I…"

Lexie shook her head. "Molly, it's okay, really. You had other things to worry about and… I wasn't alone… There are plenty of people here who worry about Mark too and they had been by for support I… I'm glad you're here now though."

Molly gave her a soft smile as she took her hand.

"My girls," Thatcher said as he looked back and forth between his daughters. "I… I hate to see you in so much pain Lexie sweetie… But I'm glad you've got your sisters at your side. Both of them. There's nothing better than the support of family right now."

Lexie nodded. "Meredith… Meredith has been through so much of her own yet she was here for me and… I'll never be able to show her how truly thankful I have been. She's just… We may not have gotten to know her growing up, but I'm glad I got to know her in the end. She's…"

Molly smiled. "The missing piece in our family picture."

Lexie smiled slightly too, and nodded. "Yeah, kind of."

Thatcher nodded. "Are both of you planning on going over there for their Thanksgiving supper?"

Molly nodded first. "I'm heading over there as soon as I leave here. Laura and Shawn are meeting me there."

Lexie stayed quiet. Finally she nodded. "Yeah, but I'm gonna stay here for another little while longer… But I'll be there later, I promise."

Thatcher nodded as he got up. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay Lexie, but I have to head out. I promised Carolyn that I'd help out before supper."

The girls looked back and forth between each other. They both smirked.

"We're just friends," Thatcher said as he rolled his eyes.

"That's what they all say," Lexie said with a smile, a real one, something that made both Molly and Thatcher's hearts swell. She would make it through.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Derek, where are we going?"

Meredith looked out the window and suddenly realized they weren't heading in the direction of the cottage. She hadn't noticed until then that they were far from heading towards where they had spent the last few months living and when she looked over to Derek, he just smiled.

"I wanted to show you something."

"But Derek- "

Derek cut her off. "The babies are asleep, mom's handling supper and it's such a beautiful day. Trust me, it'll be worth it."

Meredith rolled her eyes, but couldn't help smiling at the look on Derek's face.

"Fine."

Meredith leaned against the window and realized right away where they were going. "Derek… It's been…"

Derek laughed. "…nearly three months since we've come down here together. I know."

Meredith looked over to him quickly. "You've been down here?"

Derek nodded as they continued to drive up the now paved driveway, into the woods, heading towards their home. "How else would we have it ready for when the babies came home?"

Meredith gaze him a confused look. "What… what do you mean?"

That's when the house came into view. Meredith gasped.

"Derek… It's…"

"Done," he finished for her as he put the car in park and got out, Meredith still in a state of shock.

When Derek opened her door she stumbled out a little, still to shocked to do much moving. "I… It's… Everything, down to the wrap around porch. I…"

Derek made his way to the back where he pulled out the still sleeping Keegan, passed him to Meredith as she stood there, still in shock, and then went around to get Kelsey too. When he returned to Meredith's side, he leaned down to give her a kiss on the forehead.

"Welcome home Meredith, welcome home."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Are we all ready to head over to Uncle Derek's and Auntie Meredith's?"

Kayla and Alyssa came running at the sound of the invitation, followed by the stumbling Daniel. Julian, who noticed his struggle, picked him up to carry him to where Amy stood, now surrounded by their daughters. Daniel squealed as his father sent him whooshing through the air, laughing and just having a good time.

"Julian, are you sure you should be doing that? I mean, you're still… And he's… And…" Amy fretted, trying to find the words, but without much luck.

Julian set him down and leaned in to give his wife a long kiss, to which the kids made sounds to show they unapproved, and Julian just smiled brighter. "Hunny, I am fine. I can play with my kids, pick them up, laugh and have fun. I'm not straining my brain, that's for sure. However, if you start making me do the cross word puzzles…"

This made Amy smile, a difficult task it seemed as of late. She was always worrying about one thing or another. The kids, especially Kayla, were starting to notice it, and it was starting to worry Julian. He hoped that a day with the family might take her mind off of everything that was happening and allow her to move on and forget, and maybe then, they could truly start to recover from it all.

When Carolyn pulled into the driveway, Kayla was the first to notice. "Let's go!" she exclaimed as she ran out to the car.

The drive was kind of quiet, except for Kayla's rambling about their Thanksgiving show they put on at school the day before. It was the first time in a long time that both of her parents were able to attend something during school hours and this in itself was incredible to her. She talked all the way to Derek's, but soon stopped when she didn't recognize where they were.

"I thought we were going to Uncle Derek's and Auntie Meredith's?"

Carolyn smiled. "We are sweetie."

Kayla titled her head. "But… where are we?"

Amy smiled. "This is Meredith's and Derek's new house."

As soon as the car was parked, the two girls hopped out and ran straight for the front door where Addison was inviting them in. Amy helped Daniel out of his seat then let him off on his own too. The three adults were just heading up the front steps when they heard Alyssa and Kayla exclaim.

"Mommy, mommy, look who we found!"

Amy gasped when not two, but four little girls emerged from the front door.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I… I can't believe this Derek! I… When… I…"

Derek smiled and took Meredith by the hand as they slowly made their way up to the house. He took a quick look around the yard and smiled when he noticed the only vehicle that was parked in plain view was the one his mother was driving. _Good._

"When did you have time to come out here? I mean… You've been with me or Mark most of the time and…"

Derek smiled. "The house was completely done before you had the twins. The only thing that was left was painting and moving furniture. The painting, well, let's just say not two rooms were painted by the same people. Mom… She did a lot of it. When we were at work, she'd come out here and paint. Adele joined her quite a few times. I had a bunch of the boys out one day… Julian, Jackson, Richard, Sam and... well, Mark... It got done really quickly with all those hands. Lexie, Molly and Izzie did a lot too. So did Thatcher, but I think it was just to spend time with my mother…"

Meredith laughed. "My father and your mother? What?"

Derek joined her. "I know, hard to imagine, huh?"

Meredith nodded. "Yeah, it really is…" She paused as she thought of something. "Wait, what about all that time I spent setting up the nursery at the cottage?"

Derek gave her a sheepish grin. "We took it all out last night and moved it here. But don't worry. All that assembling you did came in handy. We didn't need to disassemble anything, so it saved a lot of time."

"Who's we?" Meredith asked, still not sure how they pulled all of this off.

"Sam, Addison, Alex, Izzie and me. You were at the hospital last night with Lexie, so I figured I'd get it done. We brought everything over, and then Addison, Izzie and Mom put all the final touches on the room. It's… Well, you'll just have to wait and see!"

They had now reached the front door, and Derek gave her a smile before opening the door wide for her. Meredith gasped, because this was the first time she had not only seen the house completely finished, but also at the beauty. The color, the setup, the pictures… It was as if they had been living here all of their lives.

"So?" Derek asked, a hopeful smile on his face.

"I… Derek… this is…"

She didn't get to finish. As soon as she had walked in front of the entrance to the living room, booming voices made her jump, earning a laugh from Derek.

"Welcome home!" they all exclaimed, then everyone set off laughing at the expression on Meredith's face.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't pass up the opportunity," Derek whispered in her ear.

But it wasn't the fact that there were thirty or so people in her living room that took her by surprise.

"Natalie!" she exclaimed as soon as she saw her sister-in-law.

This made Derek shift his attention, and everyone then started up the laughing again over the expression on his face.

"Meredith!" she exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around her sister. She then turned to Derek doing the same.

"What…what are you…" Derek seemed more shocked than Meredith.

"Cory had an event for work this weekend so we decided to make it a family trip. Mom then told me that you guys were having Thanksgiving dinner and when I got here earlier I was told that the babies were coming home too and…" she shifted her attention to the babies and completely lost track of all thought. "Oh, my goodness! They're just precious!"

Meredith and Derek both set down their carriers, and Natalie was the first to sneak Keegan out of his and into her arms. Adele, wasn't far behind her, and when Meredith passed her Kelsey, she was more than excited. Once everyone had said their hello's, things settled down and Meredith took a look around the room.

"Okay, Derek, now how did you pull this off?"

Derek laughed. "This was entirely Mom and Adele's idea. I just helped invite people."

Meredith looked around the room to where people were cooing over the babies. Natalie and Amy, along with all their daughters, took over the couch. Adele was seated in the love seat, Richard beside her, and Molly, Laura, Stephanie and Izzie were surrounding her. Julian, Cory and the boys were playing a board game that Lucas had brought with him for the trip. Jackson had joined them. Carolyn and Thatcher were chatting in a corner, and Catherine, Finn, Shawn, Sam and now Derek were watching football on the TV in the corner, Catherine more paying attention the Nathaniel who was wide awake and smiling in her arms.

Seeing Nathaniel and Sam brought Meredith thinking about how Addison was missing.

"I see I missed the big surprise."

Meredith spun and laughed when she saw Addie come down from the hallway.

"You leave to go to the bathroom and seem to miss out on it all."

Meredith laughed. "I was wondering from where you were going to pop out. This is… Wow."

Addison nodded. "It is. Wait until you get the grand tour of the house," she added with a laugh.

Meredith laughed too. "I love how it's my house and I'm the last one who gets to see it."

Addison smirked. "Derek just wanted to surprise you."

Meredith nodded. "That he sure did."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Before too long, people had started getting hungry, especially the kids, and so Carolyn decided it was time to start pulling out the mountains of food they had cooked. Since the kitchen table wasn't quite big enough for the crowd, they had brought their plates out into the living room and set up some picnic blankets on the ground for the kids. People were spread out a little bit everywhere, but everyone seemed to all take part into the one big conversation.

"Carolyn, Adele, this is absolutely amazingly delicious," Sam was the first to mention and everyone nodded in approval.

"Hey! We didn't do it all on our own," Adele said with a laugh. "Izzie, Jackson and Thatcher should get some recognition too. And of course Shawn."

"I spend every day in the kitchen anyway," Shawn said with a laugh. Everyone continued to praise the food.

"I'm just glad I didn't have to spend Thanksgiving alone," Izzie said. "So I should be thanking all of you."

"Is Alex working?" Meredith asked, noticing the few that were missing.

Izzie nodded. "Him and Cristina are both working."

"But they're going to be here soon," Jackson said as he came in with his plate, one of the last ones to serve himself.

"Miranda is supposed to slip by later too," Richard added.

"Lexie should be here…" Molly said, slightly worried that her sister was still a no show.

Meredith was about to say something when they heard the front door open.

"Is this where the party is at? I hope we've got the right address?"

Alex, followed by a Cristina on crutches came in, Alex carrying a stack of pies. "I didn't know what to bring, but I figured I couldn't go wrong with pies."

Carolyn laughed as she took them from his hands and added them to the growing pile of various sorts of pies already growing. "Yeah, you and five others."

Alex shrugged as people giggled around the room and Jackson got up to help Cristina to her seat.

"This could be a sort of engagement party too, now couldn't it?" Meredith said with a laugh. "You guys haven't had one of those yet."

"Don't need one," Cristina said as she began to eat. "With all the things going on, from parties, to celebrations, to… not so exciting stuff, we figured we could just fit into the background."

"Nonsense," Richard said as he got up and clinked his glass of wine with his fork, even though he already had everyone's attention. "I would like to make a toast to not only our newly engaged couple over here, but to all the couples present," he looked around the room and smiled as everyone was seated in couples, maybe minus Carolyn and Thatcher, but then again… "anyway, to all the couples for surviving, making it through one step at a time and never giving up hope in the other. Old couples, and new, I wish you all the very best in all you have planned for your future. To couples!"

"To couples!" everyone repeated as they smiled, laughed, clinked their glasses together, and most shared a kiss. Things went back to normal, and several individual conversations were brewing up. Meredith figured it was the best moment to pull Cristina away.

"Hey, you didn't happen to see Lexie on your way out?"

Cristina shook her head as she sipped at her beer. "No, but the nurse I was passing made a comment about poor Lexie, spending her Thanksgiving at her comatose fiancé's bedside. She's supposed to be here, isn't she?"

Meredith nodded. "The one and only person I was to invite. I… I can't help but think, what if he never does wake up Cristina?"

Cristina shook her head. "He will Meredith."

They sat there in silence for a few moments before Cristina decided to get something off her chest.

"Mark and I kissed."

Meredith's jaw dropped. "What? Does Lexie know? Does Jackson? What… what the hell?"

Cristina shook her head. "Meredith, no, well, yes, Jackson and Lexie both know, but it was before them. Right before Jackson and Lexie. Right after the whole thing with Owen and Teddy. We… we just kissed, nothing more. We were both in a tough place. We said we'd pretend like it never happened. I… I… It's weird to think about him, lifeless, when he's the one always full of life, always waiting for the newest adventure to come along. Even after just that one kiss, Mark and I became so much closer in terms of friends. And with him and Jackson so close… I don't know, it's just tough. I had to tell someone about that kiss. I just had to. But that doesn't mean I don't believe he won't make it."

Meredith nodded and the two of them made their way back into the busy crowded room.

"I think I'm going to call Lexie," Meredith told Molly, and Molly nodded in agreement. She walked back over, to just outside of the room, as to cancel out some of the noise. She was pulling her phone out of her pocket when it rang.

Lexie.

"Lexie, where are you? We told you that you weren't allowed to stay cooped up in that room, that we were forcing you to have a decent meal, that-"

"Meredith, I'm sorry I couldn't come, I really was planning on it, but –"

Meredith listened as the phone shifted, as if someone had taken it away from her.

"-but there was a change in plans."

Meredith gasped.


	67. Happy is an understatement

"_Lexie, where are you? We told you that you weren't allowed to stay cooped up in that room, that we were forcing you to have a decent meal, that-"_

"_Meredith, I'm sorry I couldn't come, I really was planning on it, but –"_

_Meredith listened as the phone shifted, as if someone had taken it away from her. _

"_-but there was a change in plans."_

_Meredith gasped. _

"Mark!" she exclaimed, shocked, but beyond excited.

The room went absolutely silent as people shifted their attention towards Meredith. They didn't know what had happened, but Meredith's smile got them guessing.

Meredith just listened to Mark's attempt at a laugh.

"I don't think I've ever heard you that excited to hear from me," he said between chuckles.

Meredith, still in shock, just mumbled back. "I don't think I've ever been this excited to hear someone's voice ever!" This earned quite a few shocked expressions as people finally clued in to what was going on, and several rushed towards where she was standing.

"Doesn't that make me feel loved." Meredith could just picture the arrogant smirk on his face. He had been out for nearly three weeks and to him, it seemed like nothing had happened.

Everyone in the room, even though they were full of questions, stayed quiet, most struck by surprise. Meredith looked around and smiled, assuring them that this was in fact good.

"How are you? When… I mean, I-"

Mark cut her off. "I'm sore, stiff and confused as hell, but I'm sure I'll be back in no time, little by little."

Meredith looked around the room and noticed people grabbing their jackets and their car keys, getting ready to make a mad dash for their vehicles and race to the hospital. "You'll recover, I promise. Well, we're all heading down now. We'll be there soon. We're-"

"Meredith," Mark cut her off again. "I'm not going anywhere. There's no need to rush. I'm sure I'll be here for –"

It was Meredith's turn to cut him off. "See you in twenty minutes whether you like it or not."

She didn't give him the time to argue.

She turned towards the awaiting faces and smiled. "Mark's awake and back to his bright old self."

"Oh thank God," Carolyn was the first to mumble.

Everyone burst out into excitement at the news.

"You guys need to get down there," Meredith said. "I'll stay with the babies." She turned to Derek. "You go. I'll go down later or something or-"

"Nonsense," Adele said with a shake of her hand. "That man is a brother to you too. I'm ready to watch these bunch of munchkins, all of them," she said specifically towards Amy and Natalie, knowing that most of the children belonged to them, "because you all need to be down there right now."

"You can't possibly watch them all Adele," both Amy and Natalie argued.

"I'll stay too," Izzie said, and Alex agreed. "We can go later when things have calmed down.

"Same," Catherine added as she looked back to Nathaniel who was still cradled in her arms, and Finn nodded.

"I'll stay back too," Shawn said as he tickled his daughter. "I don't think I'd be able to drag Laura away from the others anyway.

"I really don't want to be a bother…" Meredith started, but Adele quickly shook her head.

"We're six grown adults with a dozen kids. Good kids on top of that. We'll be fine."

"Thank you," Meredith said as she left Adele with a quick hug. The others all piled into various vehicles and the mad dash for the hospital began.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"They're all on their way, aren't they?" Lexie asked with a smirk.

Mark nodded and laughed. "I guess we couldn't have expected anything less, could we?"

Lexie giggled. "I guess not."

Mark grabbed Lexie's hand. "So you have had your turn to ask me how I was doing. Now it's my turn to ask you. How have you been since…"

Lexie went to answer but didn't have the chance.

"Miserable."

They both looked up to see Callie standing in the doorway.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but when I heard a nurse mention how a miracle has happened, I knew I had to come see for myself."

Mark smiled. "Well, I'm here."

Callie laughed, than looked down at Lexie, who was still trying to find a way to counter what Callie had said. "I was just saying that from my point of view…" She sat down in the second chair beside Lexie.

"I… It's…" Lexie stumbled over the right words to say, her eyes roaming around the room, but when Mark gave her hand a tight squeeze they found their way back to his and she spoke with a little more confidence. "I was struggling with the idea that I may never see you smile, hear you laugh, sleep in your arms, live a long life at your side. The nurses, they all believed that you had gone to the point of no return and I tried so hard to not listen to them, but… I was petrified that they're words were true. Of course I was miserable, but only because you made me."

Mark saw the tear and immediately brought his hand to her face to wipe it away. "Lex, I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere. I'm okay. You're okay. We're okay, okay?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

With the knowledge of the impending arrival of who knows how many people, the nurses moved Mark from the ICU down to a bigger room where guests would be more welcomed. And just as Mark had suspected, they took no time at all before bursting through the doors.

"Markie!"

Mark's surprised face turned into a laugh as Natalie stroll through the doors first and nearly crushed him with a hug. Soon, many others followed suit and before long, the room was filled leaving very little breathing room.

"You are never allowed to scare us like that again, you hear me?" Carolyn said as she gave Mark a kiss on the forehead. "You had everyone here sick with worry."

"But we knew you'd be alright," Jackson added. "The nurses didn't, but we did."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"You guys all got here pretty quickly. How'd you manage all those calls Meredith?" Mark asked with a laugh.

"They were all over at our place," Meredith said with a smile. "A surprise welcome home slash Thanksgiving dinner. We would have brought some leftovers for you guys, but we were in such a rush to get out…"

Mark nodded. "Well you'll put them in the freezer and I'll definitely be over in no time to claim them."

"That sounds like a deal," Derek said.

"So how your little rascals?" he asked, genuinely curious about the little ones he had only seen that once right after they were born.

"They're great," Meredith said as she looked up to Derek. "Just great."

"They went home today," Addison added with a smile, proud of her little patients.

"We'll bring them by tomorrow or sometime when it's a little less crowded in here."

Mark nodded. "Where are they right now?"

"Adele offered to watch them while we came out," Meredith answered.

"Her and a bunch of others volunteered to watch the kids," Natalie added.

"We'll head back and round up our bunches," Julian said, referring to him and Cory. "But we'll be back with the munchkins tomorrow. It's great to see you're alright."

"I'm going to head back with them too and bring our little one home," Sam added as he wished everyone the best of luck.

"I… Meredith, Derek, you two stay here and I'll watch the kids tonight," Carolyn said as she got up. "Goodnight and its good to see you Mark," she said as she rushed out.

"Is she alright?" Mark asked, a little hesitant.

Meredith, Derek, Natalie and Amy exchanged a glance. "I'll go check on her," Meredith said.

Before anyone could argue, she was up on her feet and out the door, quickly catching up to Carolyn.

"Mom, are you okay?"

Carolyn took a deep breath, but soon broke down in tears. "I… I thought I was all cried out… I… Everyone thought he wasn't going to make it, and I cried and cried because as much as I didn't want to believe it… Those nurses' words had gotten to me and now he's there, laughing and smiling, back to his old self and I can't help but think that just last night, I had given up hope. What kind of mother gives up hope?"

Meredith quickly wrapped Carolyn in her arms as she sobbed. "The kind who has raised six amazing doctors and knows what the hospital life is like, what survival is like. Most mothers don't want to give up hope because they don't think all of it is really happening. But you, you've seen more hurt, in the stories your kids have told, in their eyes, through their frustrations with this job, that you see the sense in it all. It doesn't make you a bad person. It makes you a realist, and it makes you strong. But Mark is in there, a smile on his face and laughing, and he's going to be fine, so you're going to be fine, right?"

Carolyn nodded. "Okay."

Meredith held Carolyn tight until she heard hesitant footsteps behind her.

"I didn't mean to interrupt," Thatcher mumbled when Meredith turned around. "I… I just thought I'd offer a drive back… I didn't think you were in any condition to drive right now, being overwhelmed and all and…" he was nervous, and Meredith could tell.

"Thank you," Carolyn answered with a smile. "You're too kind." She turned to Meredith. "And thank you for everything."

"It's nothing compared to everything you've done for me."

She watched as Carolyn and Thatcher walked off down the hall, and when they were no longer in sight, she turned back to head towards the room.

"Is she alright?" Derek was the first to ask when he saw Meredith return. The others looked up expectantly.

"She's fine. Just overwhelmed, that's all. I think we all are, but we're more used to handling it."

Everyone nodded and things got lighter.

At least for a little while.

"Yang! What happened to your leg?" Mark asked when he finally noticed the cast.

The room went quiet.

"I… It's… Uh…"

And that's when Mark noticed something else.

"Yang! You're engaged?"

Everyone laughed this time, glad the topic was diverted, at least for now.

"I'm proud of you man," he said as he sent a smirk towards Jackson. "Welcome aboard."

Jackson smiled. "Thanks man, I appreciate it."

"So it looks like pretty much everyone is either hitched or on that track." And a sudden bulb came on in his mind. "Which reminds me… Are Catherine and Finn for real?"

"They're for real," Meredith answered with a chuckle. "We've told her everything and he's a part of the crowd now. They were actually all over for dinner tonight until it got interrupted," she added with a smirk.

"Well I'm sorry," Mark said, in and exaggerated, I'm not really sorry, kind of voice. "So the two of you are getting married…" Mark changed back as he shook his head and looked back and forth between Jackson and Cristina. "When you said you'd do it, I didn't actually believe you," he directed towards Cristina. "Wow… That makes how many weddings to get through?" And before anyone was able to answer, he turned to Lexie. "Are we still getting married?"

This took her by surprise. "What?" she asked with a small laugh. "Unless you decided while you were unconscious that you didn't want to or that you wanted to… I… I mean I can't force you to –"

He leaned over and cut her off with a kiss. When he pulled away, she didn't know what to do.

"What I meant is, did you cancel the wedding with everything that happened." A sigh of relief escaped Lexie before she could stop it. Mark squeezed her hand. "I will never change my mind about us don't you ever worry. I'd marry you right here right now if I could. But since there is still a wedding approaching, I guess I can wait and do it right."

Lexie smiled and nodded. "Then yes, the wedding is still on."

Everyone cheered and laughed and smiled and just proved that this was all good and exciting.

"I'm going to go down and grab some coffees and some teas in the cafeteria," Amy said as she got up. "Anyone?"

Several people nodded and agreed that coffee would be good right now.

"I'll go with you," Richard added.

"So Cristina, you never told me what happened to your leg," Mark started back up. People exchanged glances, but with Amy gone, it might be easier to bring it up.

"I… A car crash," was all she answered.

"What's up with car crashes lately? Did we all just become terrible drivers or something?" Mark said with a laugh, trying to lighten the mood. Everyone stayed quiet. "Okay, truth time. What's really going on here?"

Derek took a deep breath. "Mark, the crash you were in also had 34 other victims. Six died on the scene, three others in our OR's and some were close calls."

"By close calls you mean me, right?" Mark asked, no joking left in his voice.

Derek nodded. "And some others too."

Mark looked back to Cristina. "You were in the same accident?"

Cristina nodded. "But all I had was a broken leg and I needed some stitches. Nothing compared to the majority of the patients."

Mark nodded. "I…"

It wasn't very often Mark had nothing to say.

"You are the only patient left to be released, so at least things have gone back to normal," Derek added. "At least, in the hospital that is."

Mark looked confused. "What… What do you mean, at least in the hospital?"

Derek sighed. "One of the other patients that had had a close call was Julian."

Mark shook his head. "But… He seemed fine just minutes ago. I mean, he…"

"He's recovering just fine," Meredith said. "But Amy's having a harder time."

"But she…"

"She was in the accident too," Addison started. "Like Cristina, no major damage, but things have been really tough on the two of them with recovery and the kids and everything." She knew that it was mostly due to the pregnancy, but she wouldn't say anything about it.

"We should change the topic before she gets back though," Jackson said.

Everyone agreed. "So on the topic of weddings and engagements and such," Mark started, turning to Addison, "any thoughts?"

Addison laughed and automatically the tension in the room subsided. "We're kind of just waiting for everything to settle down a bit before we make any decisions. It'll definitely be a slow process, not like the last wedding we attended."

Everyone let out a laugh. "No definitely not," Derek said.

Suddenly, Miranda burst through the door. "I heard as soon as I got out of surgery and I had to see it for myself!"

Mark laughed. "That was quite the entrance."

Miranda smiled once she saw just how real that Mark was awake and well was. "It's good to see you're fully back. I'm sure your recovery won't be long."

"Not planning on staying any longer than I need to," he added.

"Well I need to go check on my patient but this is definitely not the last you've seen of me."

When Miranda disappeared, Callie stood up. "I should probably get back to work too. My break is long past over."

Soon, Amy and Richard were back but Richard didn't stay much longer before deciding he better head out. Jackson and Cristina weren't far behind him, Molly leaving with them. Amy and Addison were close behind and after they said their goodbyes, Derek checked his watch and figured it was time for them to head out too. Natalie figured this was her last chance at a drive home so she didn't have much of a choice, but agreed that it was getting late. Just as they were getting up to leave, a nurse came in to bring Mark down for a CT.

"You guys have good timing," he said with a smile as they all said their goodbyes.

"Do you want us to stick around for a little while longer so you're not alone?" Meredith asked Lexie, but she shook her head.

"I'll be fine," she said with a smile. Meredith hadn't seen her smile in weeks and she couldn't help but bring her little sister in for a great big hug. Natalie and Derek had already left, leaving the sisters to their privacy.

"If you need anything…" Meredith said with a smile.

"I know. But I should be the one telling you that. You're the one with newborn twins at home to take of."

Meredith laughed. "I've got Derek."

Lexie smiled. "And I've got Mark."

Meredith nodded. "God, it's so great to see him awake again."

"It's indescribable how it feels. I… I didn't think I'd make it if he didn't and now he's here and he's okay and…"

Meredith gave her sister a serious look. "Have you told him?"

Lexie shook her head. "I… I didn't have much time to… We haven't had more than a few minutes alone since he woke up and I… I need this to be our moment. I…"

"He's going to be so excited Lex," Meredith said with a smile. "It's going to make this day filled with even more things we need to be thankful for."

"I'll tell him, when he gets back from his CT. I'll tell him because I've already waited much longer than I wanted to."

"The two of you have all night," she said. "Let me know how he reacts," Meredith added with a wink.

"You'll be the first to know."

Meredith turned to head out, but before she left the room, she turned back towards her sister and smiled.

"Happy Thanksgiving Lexie."

Lexie smiled. "Happy is an understatement."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"We're home," Derek called into the house once they had arrived. The three of them walked into the living room to find it cleaned from the earlier events and occupied by Carolyn, Cory and Thatcher. "How is everyone?"

Carolyn smiled. "The kids are all asleep, they went to bed with no issues."

"And when she says all, she means all," Cory added looking over at Natalie. "Even Ben went to sleep without complaining."

Natalie laughed. "That's got to be a first. How did you pull that off?"

Carolyn smiled. "I told him that the faster he went to sleep, the sooner he'd get to see Uncle Mark."

Everyone smiled. "It's pretty great to think that everything is finally falling back into place," Meredith said as she took a seat, Derek soon joining her. "To see Mark so alive…"

"It's definitely going to help everyone finally recover," Carolyn agreed. "I hope that includes Amy."

"I'm really worried about her," Natalie said. "I will most definitely spend as much time as possible with her while we're here to get through whatever it is."

Everyone nodded, even though most of them figured out that Natalie didn't know that Amy was pregnant. She would find out soon enough.

"I'm just glad Lexie will finally be able to breathe again," Meredith said. "She definitely needed him to make it through."

"To see her so broken broke me," Thatcher said as he shook his head. "But to know that Mark is okay and that everything will go back to normal, it makes everything okay."

Everyone agreed.

"Well," Natalie started as she got up, "we should probably head out. But we'll be around for the next few days, probably in at the hospital and around here so –"

Derek cut her off as he shook his head. "Natalie, the kids are already asleep and waking them just to drive across town and put them back to sleep is pointless. We have more than enough room for everyone. Stay, I insist."

Natalie smiled and looked at Cory, who smiled in response. "If it really doesn't bother you…"

Meredith laughed. "With the size of this place, I don't think you could be a bother if you tried. Besides, having roommates was something we sort of got used to."

"You know what?" Derek said. "Cancel your reservations for wherever you're staying. You guys are in Seattle, we'll be your accommodations."

"Derek, that's –" Cory started.

"That's what family is for," Derek said with a smile. "Besides, it gives us more chance to catch up, and I get to see the kids around which is the best price you can pay. I'm sure mom agrees."

Carolyn nodded enthusiastically.

"I would play the good hostess and show you where your room is but I'm not even sure," Meredith said with a laugh.

"Then why don't I give you all the grand tour?" Derek said with a smile.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Lexie waited patiently in Mark's room, alone but she felt comforted. The thought that Mark was okay, well and alive took an extremely heavy weight from her shoulders, one that had been weighing more and more with the passing weeks. The weight, the thoughts, of raising the baby she was carrying without him were beyond any fear she had lived in her life. That and the fear of losing him period. As she sat in the room, she started thinking about everything that Carolyn had told her in the past few weeks. The support, the love, the family… It overwhelmed her when Carolyn named out people who would most definitely be there to help her through this. The list went on and on and Carolyn's name was at the top. The woman became a mother to her, not long after she had become a mother to Meredith and she was forever grateful to have her in her life.

"You seem deep in thought."

Lexie's head shot towards the voice and she smiled when Addison came into view. "Just thinking. What are you doing back?"

Addison pointed towards the corner of the room. "I've become a terribly forgetful person." She walked over to grab her jacket. "I don't know what has gotten into me lately."

Lexie laughed. "I think it's understandable with all the overwhelming things that have been happening."

Addie nodded. Rather than head back out, she sat down in the seat next to Lexie. "Have you told him yet?"

Lexie shook her head. "Haven't had the chance, with everyone else around. But I'm going to tell him. As soon as he's settled in for the night. That way I know we won't be interrupted."

Addison smiled. "Sounds good. Lexie, if you ever need anything –"

Lexie smiled back. "Addison, you're supposed to be off. You've been to the hospital almost just as often than as if you were working. I'll be fine. For real now."

Addison nodded, but the smile didn't falter. "Well, on the days you have off, if you're looking for some company or for someone to talk to then… I won't be at the hospital, but that doesn't mean I won't be around for you."

Lexie nodded. "Thanks Addie."

Addison got up but before she had the chance to go anywhere, Mark was being wheeled back through the doors.

"Miss me already?" Mark asked when he saw Addison in the room.

Addison laughed. "You wish. You can only spend so much time in Mark Sloan's company before you try to make an escape." She grabbed his hand however when he was close enough and added, "I'll be back tomorrow, but after that, I won't be re-entering the hospital until my leave is over." When she said this, she turned towards Lexie with a smile.

Mark nodded. "Sounds like a plan. I guess that means that if I want to see you anytime soon, I'll need to get out of here quick."

Addison smiled and shrugged. "I guess so. Goodnight you two." With that, she was gone again.

"How about you? Did you miss me?"

Lexie looked him in the eye and knew he was just playing around, but the words hit her. All she could manage was a nod of the head as her eyes welled with tears.

"Oh Lex… I…"

She shook her head. "No, no Mark… I know it was just… But… I… These past weeks have been hell, they have… I had… You… I couldn't… and now… Like nothing happened… and… and…"

Mark scooted over in his small bed. "Lexie, come here."

Lexie looked at him. "I… Are you sure?"

Mark nodded. "More than anything. I need to feel you beside me, hold you tight, and reassure you that I'm right here and that I'm not going anywhere."

Lexie had to admit that she definitely needed the comfort, his presence, and as much as the small bed didn't seem all that accommodating, any bed would be better than sleeping sprawled across the uncomfortable chairs or even upright as she had been doing for quite some time now. It was getting late and Lexie knew the nurses wouldn't come in to bother them. She turned, flicked out the light, pulled off her shoes and crawled into his arms.

He couldn't help but smile when his arms automatically molded around her.

She couldn't help but smile in response.

"I miss this," she whispered. "Just the little things. I didn't realize how much I would miss them until…"

Mark snuggled his face into her neck, leaving little kisses along the skin.

"You broke me," she whispered even lower. "I… couldn't function right… You thought I was sick before... Well, you made me sick all over again. And Carolyn and Meredith and Addison… they knew I couldn't do what I was doing… They knew that all my time… that never leaving your bedside… that it wasn't good for me… for my… for my condition… But I didn't care. I needed… I couldn't leave your side… I just… You broke me Mark Sloan and I'll never be whole without you. So… so don't leave me. Don't leave…" The word _us_ bubbled into her mind. She almost said it, but caught herself. However, earlier words had already caught Mark's attention.

"Your condition?" Mark asked. "What… what are you talking about?"

Lexie stayed quiet.

"Lex… look at me," Mark demanded in a quiet voice. She did as she was told, but had trouble making eye contact. "Is… you being sick, before… before the accident… You said… I remember… You said you knew why… You… Lexie, what was going on?"

She finally made eye contact and the smile that broke out on her face was what gave it away.

She hadn't said anything, and already Mark was smiling.

"I was thinking about it the entire time I was gone for my scan. You… Your throwing up before the accident, you telling me you knew what it was, but how you wouldn't tell me. None of it clicked. Until I had time to really think. And then, you said Meredith and Mom and Addison… Meredith and Mom, I understand. But Addison… That's when I knew. Lexie… I… I need to hear it from you. I need to… to –"

Lexie couldn't help herself anymore. "I'm pregnant Mark. I… We're going to have a baby."

His lips crashing down on hers, the passion, the love, the emotion, was enough for Lexie. She knew just from that that this was good, that Mark was happy.

But the look on his face, the smile, the glimmering eyes, is what confirmed that this really was the perfect ending to a perfect Thanksgiving.


	68. December 9th

"December 9th," Richard said with a smile on his face as they walked towards the chief's office. "It's a day that will be remembered at Grace."

"Why's that?" asked Patricia.

"It's the day the last of the victims of the Devil's Turn car crash are released from the hospital. It's been over a month since the accident. Today is definitely a good day."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I'm okay Lexie, I promise!"

Lexie wrapped her arm around Mark for support as they made their way to the front door of their house. "Are you sure? I mean, you're still light headed and I don't want you to fall or –"

Mark stopped, which forced Lexie to stop too. "I'm okay, okay? I should be the one worrying about you, not the other way around! Have you seen Addison lately? Is the baby okay? With everything that has been happening, I wouldn't want-"

Lexie cut him off. "Don't go changing the subject on me."

Mark smiled. "It was worth a try."

Lexie laughed. "Addison says everything looks fine, I'm feeling much better and I think the best medicine I got was seeing you awake again. Everything is great."

Mark nodded. "Good. I worry about you Lex."

Lexie rolled her eyes. "Says the man who just spent over a month in the hospital. I'm the one who gets to worry, not you."

"Arguing like a married couple already and the wedding is still weeks away."

They looked up as Derek came through the front door of their home and made his way towards them. "Let me help you there."

Lexie smiled. "Thanks."

"Okay big guy, one step at a time."

Mark rolled his eyes. "It was bad enough that Lexie had to help me but now you too? My poor dignity."

The two others laughed. "Mark, you'll be up and back to yourself in no time. Richard can't wait to step aside for you to get into that chief's position. So you've got to get back in shape pretty quickly."

Mark nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. When I said I would do it, I wasn't expecting to end up hospitalized for the majority of the duration."

Derek smiled. "There's still plenty of time left. And Richard was more than happy to step in. He's got all of our sanity in mind."

Lexie smiled. "Okay, let's attempt these steps before any more chief talk."

It wasn't as much of a struggle as they were expecting. Mark made it up the steps with very little problem. But once they were in the living room, he was glad to get off of his feet.

"Okay, that's all for today folks."

They laughed as Mark sprawled himself across the couch.

"Where's Meredith?" Lexie asked, noticing her missing sister.

"She's here somewhere…" Derek answered.

"Coming!" they heard her voice call out from the kitchen. She came out with sandwiches, glasses and a jug of juice.

"Grey can make sandwiches!" Mark exclaimed. "Who would have thought? You've really turned her into a housewife there Derek."

"Shut up Mark," the three of them said together. They all burst out laughing.

"God it's great to be able to say that," Meredith said as she took a seat beside her husband.

"It's great to be able to tell me to shut up?" Mark asked. "Gee, that's so sweet of you."

"You know what I mean," Meredith answered.

"Where are Kelsey and Keegan?"

"They're napping in the spare room. I hope you don't mind…"

Lexie was quick to answer. "Of course not! They're welcome to nap anywhere they like."

Meredith laughed. "Okay then."

"Mom and the kids are on their way here," Derek added. "Amy and Julian had a couple of doctor's appointments so Mom volunteered to take them for the day. The kids asked if they could visit and they promised they would be gentle so we didn't think there would be an issue."

"No issue at all. I could use any company I can get. Lexie here is leaving me."

Lexie made a sad face. "It's only a six hour shift. I'll be back before seven."

"First day back?" Meredith asked, not having realized that her sister hadn't been working these past weeks.

Lexie nodded. "I spent so much time in the hospital that it didn't feel like I wasn't working but now that I think about it…"

Meredith nodded. "I understand. I promise, we'll take good care of Mark for you."

Lexie smiled. "Thank you."

"I'm going to go check on the babies," Derek said, as he lifted himself from his chair.

Soon, it was just Meredith and Mark in the living room.

"I don't like this being babysat thing," Mark said all of a sudden.

Meredith couldn't help but laugh. "Gee, haven't the roles been reversed big time."

Mark smirked. "It wasn't so bad when I was the babysitter."

Meredith smiled. "Hey, at least I'm a nice babysitter."

Mark nodded. "It definitely could have been worse. God it's good to be home."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Thanks again Addie for doing this," Julian said as they were leaving the exam room.

"She was my patient and I follow through with each and every one of my patients, no matter what."

Amy smiled. "I couldn't have asked for a better doctor."

Addison laughed. "You flatter me."

The three chatted as they made their way to the cafeteria.

"So how did your checkup go?" Addison asked Julian. He had had an appointment with Dr Lewis before Amy's with Addison.

"I'm all clear," Julian said with a smile on his face. "We've both been cleared today," he added as he turned to Amy.

"I've already talked to Richard and I'm back to work tomorrow," Amy said with a smile. "And Julian is to start back next week."

Addie nodded with a smile. "God, it's good to see that smile again Amy. I was so worried it was gone for good."

Amy couldn't help but smile even brighter. "This smile is one of joy and graciousness for all that we have been blessed with. We're okay, everyone's okay. That's a good enough reason to smile."

They had reached the cafeteria and the first thing they noticed was the rowdy table near the middle.

"What's with all the ruckus?"

The occupants of the table turned towards the three arrivals and smiled.

"So…?" Jackson asked. "What's the update?"

Amy smiled. "I'm back to work tomorrow."

Everyone cheered as Addison, Julian and Amy pulled up some extra chairs.

"Have you guys just been sitting here waiting for us to come down?" Amy asked when they had calmed down.

"Yeah, pretty much," Catherine answered. "It's news worth celebrating."

"Everyone's okay, it's something to celebrate!" Callie added.

Addison turned towards Lexie. "It's good to see you're back to work."

Lexie smiled. "I wish I had one more day. Mark being home and all. But Meredith and Derek and the babies are taking good care of him."

They all laughed. "Don't you find it's kind of weird though that the day Mark goes home is the day that both Amy and Julian are cleared to go back to work?" Catherine thought out loud.

"It is kind of strange," Julian said as he thought about it.

"Not to mention Cristina got her cast removed this morning before work," Callie added as she turned towards Cristina.

Cristina shrugged. "Maybe it's fate or something telling us that the struggle is over. Go back to living your lives."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Amy said and everyone laughed.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Uncle Mark!"

Mark couldn't help but smile when he heard the three voices he longed to hear all day. The thought of Amy's kids coming to visit had him excited all day and the wait had been torture.

"Hey there munchkins!" he exclaimed as they piled into the living room. "I missed you guys."

Kayla rolled her eyes. "We were at the hospital just four days ago!"

Mark smirked. "Doesn't mean that I didn't miss you."

Kayla smiled as she leaned down to give her uncle a hug.

"Why don't you guys come up here and take a seat?" he said as he patted the couch beside him.

"Are you sure? Kayla asked. "We don't want to hurt you…"

Mark laughed. "Nonsense! You guys won't hurt me. You love me to much!"

"I do!" Alyssa said with a laugh.

Kayla picked Daniel up first and set him down beside Mark then took her seat beside them while Alyssa took the other side.

"Well isn't this a cozy picture," Derek said as he came in from the kitchen.

Kayla and Alyssa sprung off the couch to give Derek a hug. Daniel watched and clapped, trying to make Derek see that he wanted a hug too but he just couldn't get down.

"Is Auntie Meredith here too?" Kayla asked excitedly. "And Kelsey and Keegan?"

Derek nodded. "They should be down soon. She was just going upstairs to feed them."

Carolyn called into the house at that moment. "Hello? A little help here?"

Kayla called back. "I'm coming!"

The two walked back into the room with grocery bags filled with food.

"What's all that for?" Mark asked.

Carolyn rolled her eyes. "Markie, you've been in the hospital for a month, Lexie was rarely home and your cupboards are empty. You need to eat sometime so I'm stocking your cupboards."

"Mom, you didn't have –"

She cut him off. "What do feel like for supper? Spaghetti or Shepherd's Pie?"

"Shepherd's Pie!" the three kids exclaimed.

"I guess it's been voted for you," Carolyn said with a smile as she headed into the kitchen. "Shepherd's Pie it is!"

Derek looked over to Mark and noticed the look on his face. "Hey kids, why don't you go help your Grandma in the kitchen?"

Alyssa and Daniel both nodded so Derek helped the little boy from his seat and he toddled into the kitchen following his sister.

"Is everything okay there?" Derek asked once the room had been cleared. He took a seat at Mark's feet.

"It's just…" He paused. "She didn't sign up for any of this. She came to Seattle to help Meredith through her pregnancy. Not the rest of this. With Meredith and the babies, Lexie and Amy pregnant, then you add Amy's recovery to mine and Julian's… She may seem like superwoman at times, but she's… you know… getting older and she can't keep running herself to the extent she is now. She's going to burn down and we're going to feel like we are at fault."

Derek shook his head. "It's who she is. As much as we can try to tell her we're okay, she's going to keep trying to help wherever she can and there's nothing we or anyone else can do to stop her. She would have flown out after the accident had she not of already been here so that wouldn't have changed much. I think she just wants to feel useful. And if we really see that she can't handle it, we'll stop her. We did, actually, right after the accident. We knew she was in no shape to help anyone so we forced her to sit it out. She complied, after a lot of convincing, but we made sure she was well looked after."

Just then, Meredith appeared, Kelsey in one arm, Keegan dangling from the other in his carrier.

"I heard Mom and the kids come in," Meredith said with a smile, then saw the expression on the boys' faces. "Is everything alright?"

Derek shrugged. "Just worrying about Mom and how she's doing."

Meredith nodded. "She's alright. I quickly realized, with the few months I spent in her company, she's better off worrying and caring about everyone then she is with nothing to do. I know I definitely don't know her as well as you too, but I think I understand who she is and where she's coming from. Especially these days."

Both boys looked shocked at Meredith's explanation, but quickly agreed that she was in fact right.

"Kelsey and Keegan are up!"

They turned around to see the three kids make a mad dash towards their baby cousins, all the while being very careful and attentive. Carolyn wasn't far behind them.

"Okay, supper is in the oven and now I'm ready to be the worried mother." She smiled. "How are you feeling Markie?"

Mark smiled. "I'm great Mom. Sore, of course, but glad to be home and out of the hospital."

"Good." She flopped down in the chair. "In that case, I'm taking a break from worrying and a vacation from all of this. Everyone is okay so tomorrow, I do not exist. I'm going away for the day so I can breathe and no one can stop me, got it?"

Mark, Derek and Meredith exchanged a look, thankful that they hadn't had to force that decision onto her, that she had made it herself. "Sounds perfectly fine to us."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"How does your leg feel?"

The locker room was empty. Cristina and Lexie sat just the two of them after their shifts ended and neither could wait to get out. Lexie was heading home to see Mark and Cristina had evening plans with Meredith. It had been a great day all in all and she hoped to finish it on the same note.

"It feels a little weird without the cast, but that's normal." She paused and looked up to the younger resident. "Have you talked to Mark yet today?"

Lexie shook her head. "I called between surgeries but he was asleep. Meredith assures me though that he's just fine. I believe her, but i can't wait to get home and see for myself."

Cristina nodded. "I can't blame you."

Lexie paused after opening her locker. She turned around and looked at Cristina. "Have you ever felt like you've just been to lucky and that everything's perfect and that something wrong is going to happen because nothing could ever be this good."

Cristina looked over towards Lexie. "What do you mean?"

Lexie shrugged. "I don't know... But it's just that Mark is okay, and we're getting married soon and I'm pregnant and all of my friends and family are doing great too and everyone's happy. I feel like no one ever is this happy and that something is bound to go wrong."

Cristina shook her head. "This is normal. What you've gone through, what we've all gone through is hell and rare. This past year has been a catastrophic and not what any normal human being goes through. Being happy, having a good life, that's perfectly normal and hopefully it's all you'll see from here on out."

Lexie nodded but she still wasn't completely convinced.

Cristina closed her locker. "I've been where you are, what you're thinking... When everything started claiming down, after Mark woke up and Amy and Julian joined us for a fun supper event, I thought about it too. I was waiting for something else to happen. But things are good right now and they're going to stay that way, I have a good feeling about it."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Hey! Look who came to join us!"

Derek smiled as Addison scooted over to make room for him. Joe's wasn't very busy and everyone around were the usuals. The busiest tables were filled with doctors and everyone seemed to be in a celebratory mood.

"I feel like I'm missing something..." Derek said with an eyebrow raised. "I've never seen so many happy people at Joe's. Usually there's at least one person drowning their sorrows."

Richard smiled. "Everyone is just relieved that the accident is behind us. It took a lot of time and energy at the hospital and we hadn't had multiple patients stay that long all because of one event in a long time. Everything finished today. Mark went home."

Derek smiled as it made sense in his mind. "I guess that is reason enough to celebrate."

"It feels like it's been a while since we've had the chance to just celebrate," Miranda said as joe came to their table.

"I see Seattle Grace is boosting my business as usual. And I also heard about Sloan's release. Let him now that once he's up and on the go, his drinks are on me for a full night. With the amount of business that man alone brought me, it's the least I can do in return."

"He'll definitely appreciate the gift,"Addison said with a laugh.

"I figure he will," Joe added with a wink. "As for tonight, you guys look like a happy bunch of people and I'm glad to see no one is struggling. I've seen a good chunk of your guys's troubles and seeing so many smiling faces here tonight proves that drinking isn't just a remedy for a sad soul. So on saying that, what can I get all you lovely folk? This round is on the house."

After ordering and thanking Joe for his kindness, the four doctors fell into an easy conversation.

"How's the time off treating you?" Richard asked Derek after having not seen him for nearly a week. Derek came into work from time to time just to check up on things but he stayed away from the hospital for the most part. Getting to spend so much time with Meredith and the twins was more than he could have ever asked for.

"It's really great. The kids are great. They sleep a lot so we haven't had very many long sleepless nights and when there are issues, they pick the same nights to have them so Meredith and I are both up but we keep each other company. During the day, we get regular visits from Mom and Thatcher. Adele is over a lot too and of course Addison and Nathaniel are regular visitors too. We're always busy, but not to the point where we're exhausted and cranking at everyone."

"That's a good sign," Miranda said with a laugh, "considering you're still off for another what? Three months?"

Derek nodded. "Almost

"It's been weird not having you around the hospital," Miranda stated. "Just an observation."

Richard nodded. "All of you being missing is weird. Between the two of you," he looked between Addison and Derek, "and Meredith and Amy. Not to mention Mark and Lexie's presence lacking in the surgical aspect. Although they've been around the hospital, it wasn't exactly in the same way."

Addison shrugged. "Times are changing. By the time that Meredith and I get back to work, for real I mean, and back in the routine, it'll be Miranda here, along with Teddy, Amy and Lexie that'll be out. And there are plenty more to come. Look at Cristina! She's bound to fall for it all too sometime soon. And I'm sure the ones that have started aren't ready to stop yet. Derek isn't going to settle for two."

Derek laughed. "Don't get ahead of yourself. If Meredith and I go through it all again, it'll be a while from now anyway."

"Yes, but in the meantime, there are so many others. The hospital as we knew it is evolving and so are the people in it."

Richard nodded. "I never saw it like that, but now that you mention it..."

Miranda finished for Richard. "Times are indeed changing"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"I can't believe how fast they are growing..."

Cristina ogled over Keegan as he fell asleep in her arms. Jackson, however was very captivated by the gurgles of the little girl in his arms. Kelsey was still wide awake and fully captivated by her uncles facial expressions. Meredith watched as her people cradled her babies and smiled.

"Trust me, I feel the same," Meredith answered as she smiled down at Kelsey. "One day, they'll be sleeping like this in my arms, and the next they'll be off to college."

Cristina laughed as she settled Keegan in his bassinet. "Okay, not quite that fast."

Meredith smiled as she took Kelsey from Jackson and settled her in her bassinet. The little girl's eyes shut as soon as she was laid down.

After each of them took one last look at the sleeping babies, they left the room. Meredith turned and took the few steps down and into the main living area but struggled to find the right light switch for the sitting area.

Jackson laughed. "This is your house right...?"

Cristina joined him in laughter.

Meredith rolled her eyes. "Haha make fun of me all you want but you'd have a tough time figuring it all out too. There are buttons and switches everywhere."

"You've been living here for over a month now Mer," Cristina started as she sat down. "It's time you figure it out."

Meredith brought them some drinks as she took a seat next to her person. Jackson sat on the other side of the little coffee table between them. "I will, eventually I promise."

Cristina smiled. "It's quite the place though."

Jackson nodded. "I know when Derek got us out here to help with finishing touches, we all kind of were in awe. You guys did a really good job with this place."

Meredith shook her head. "Derek is the one who did the majority of it all. I just put my two cents in here and there in the beginning. He's the one who took care of it all pretty much."

All of a sudden, they were interrupted by cries heard through the baby monitor.

"That would be Keegan," Meredith said as she started getting up. "I'll be right back."

Jackson stopped her. "I've got him Meredith. You and Cristina need a chance to get back on track with each others lives anyone. I'm just the tag along. I'll go see what's wrong."

Meredith hesitated before sitting back down. "If you need me -"

Jackson winked. "I know where to find you."

And with that he was gone up the few stairs and into the bedroom.

"You've got yourself quite the guy," Meredith said to her person with a smile.

Cristina couldn't help but smile and look down at her ring. "He really is the greatest."

Meredith laughed. "Well we are related..."

Cristina looked up and smirked. "Am I becoming you?"

Meredith seemed slightly confused. "What do you mean?"

"Bright and shiny, happy to be in a real relationship, thinking about the future... Kids, Meredith. I've had babies on the brain."

Meredith smiled. "It's perfectly normal Cristina. And with the amount of babies and pregnancies going around you have no real choice but to have babies on the brain."

Cristina nodded. "I can't believe I'm actually thinking about babies..."

"And weddings," Meredith reminded her. "Any thoughts on that one?"

Cristina nodded. "We talked and we've decided we'll wait until the spring or the summer. With Lexie and Mark soon, we figured we'd wait another little while before making everyone do it all again."

They laughed. "Don't forget Sam and Addison will probably end up doing something at least small. There's just so much going on these days it seems."

"Agreed," Cristina said as she picked up her drink.

Meredith grabbed hers too. "A toast," she said with a smirk. "To taking in life as it comes and living it to the fullest."

"Cheers!"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Jackson was settled in the rocker in the corner of the dimly lit bedroom. He cradled the still tiny infant in his arms as Keegan's breathing started to slow down. The small child was quietly settling back down and finding his way back to sleep. However, Jackson just couldn't separate himself from the child.

He'd bonded instantly with the babies. Both of them. He couldn't go a week without coming to visit at least once. He was able to use Cristina as an excuse to come visit with Meredith but the truth was that he wanted to be there to see the two little ones grow.

He had found his family, with Richard and Adele, Meredith and Derek, Lexie and Mark, the Harringtons, but most of all with Cristina. When the merger had first started, he was nothing more than one of them, the "mercy westers". He couldn't believe what he had found in the people he had met.

And now, with a ring on Cristina's finger, and a baby sleeping in his arms, he couldn't wait to be able to start his own family. They had talked about it, and Cristina had confessed all, about how she had never wanted kids in the past, but with everything happening and her changing and growing, she found herself wanting it all more and more. This was great news to him. He loved her, and didn't know what he would have done had he of needed to pick between her and being a father someday. He was glad he wouldn't have to.

He looked back down at Keegan and smiled.

"Hey little bud," he whispered. "I'm your Uncle Jackson. I'm the awesome uncle who is going to spoil you to death. Then again, all of your uncles and aunts and grandparents will probably spoil you death. Your mommy and daddy won't be happy with us... Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that you guys are pretty lucky you have such amazing people in your lives. You guys will live some pretty amazing things in your lives and I hope to be a part of those. Someday, I'll make sure you have some cousins to share those memories with..."

"You better believe it."

Jackson looked up and couldn't help but smile as he watched Cristina walk in and stand next to him.

"We'll be here someday," she said with an enormous smile and a glimmer in her eye.

Jackson couldn't do anything but smile back and fall a little deeper in love with Cristina Yang.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"You look tired."

Lexie looked up from where she was sitting on their bed, wringing her hands and chewing her lip nervously. Mark slowly made his way over to her side and took a seat next to her.

"Long day?"

She shrugged a little. "It wasn't too bad... I should be asking you that."

Mark laughed. "I got to sleep half of the day. It's hardly what I consider slow."

He was hoping to hear a giggle but when she barely reacted, he knew he needed to get tot the bottom of whatever this was. "Lex hun, what's wrong?"

She hesitated, but knew there was no point. "I'm worried."

Mark seemed confused. "About what?"

Lexie sighed. "You, us, everything."

Mark was taken aback. "What... What are you talking about Lexie? You're not ... This isn't ... You said us... You're not running, are you."

Lexie shook her head quickly. "No, of course not. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, that I am sure of. I'm definitely not running."

Mark felt a breathe escape his lips. "That's good to know, I need you Lex more than ever."

She nodded. "That's what I'm getting at. I'm worried about you and what the... accident... How the accident affected what's going to happen." She thought about everyone's comments about how it would be no time at all before Mark was back to normal, but she knew the truth and realized that the people around would have to too soon enough.

Mark wanted to argue that it didn't change anything but as he looked passed Lexie and to the wheelchair in the corner of the room, he knew it wasn't true.

His walk from the car to the house earlier that morning had been the longest walk so far and the only one of the day. He had used his walking crutches the rest of the day and had even settled for the wheelchair for a short amount of time.

"The doctor said that these next few days will probably be your best ones for the next little while. That it'll get worse before it gets better. He said it could be close to two years before you're completely recovered. What did you eat for breakfast Mark?"

Mark nodded as he realized where she was going. He couldn't remember little things since his brain was still trying to heal from the blow.

"And the PTSD has already started to hit. You had been trashing in your bed last night screaming 'I don't want to die! Get me out of this f***ing vehicle!" The nurses gave you some more drugs and you settled but like I said..."

"It's going to get worse before it gets better." Mark sighed as put his head in his hands.

"And don't get me wrong Mark, I am extremely thankful that you pulled out of this as well as you did. People had given up all hope that you would even wake up, let alone be able to function as well as you do. I don't think I would have survived had you not of woken up." She had tears in her eyes. "I can't lose you Mark. But we're going to have a baby and I'm afraid it's going to be too much."

Mark pulled Lexie close as she sobbed in his arms and he took in everything she had said. Would they be able to make it through everything that was coming their way?


	69. Arrivals and admissions

"Derek!"

Derek smiled as his oldest sister threw herself into his arms. Soon, there were more of them and before he knew it, it had become a major group huddle in the middle of the terminal.

Kathleen laughed as she looked at the people around them. "You can tell big families aren't typical these days."

The others joined in on the laughter. Derek took a step back and took in his family.

Kathleen, her husband Nicholas, and their kids Andrew, Carlie and Jayden, along with Andrew's girlfriend Kristen were joined by Nancy, Stanley, Kaitlyn, Hailey and the twins Steven and Samuel. Derek smiled again as he remembered the last time the whole family had been together.

"God it's great to have you guys around again."

Kathleen hooked her arm in her brothers as they walked over to collect their baggage. "Two weddings in the one year. Plus, it's the first Christmas we'll all be together since you came out here."

Derek nodded and couldn't help but think about what an amazing two weeks they were going to have.

He suddenly checked his watch and realized that Natalie's plane was landing too. Before he had a chance to check which gate they were coming out of, he heard the all too familiar voice.

"Derbear!" He turned around and laughed as Natalie and the kids came running towards them. It took Natalie a moment before she realized that Kathleen and Nancy and their families were there too. "Kath! Nance! Did you guys just get here too?"

The hugs all started back up and even more bystanders watched as the family caught up.

"That was great timing," Nancy commented as she nudged Derek.

"That's what happens when Derek is in charge of booking flights," he stated proudly.

"What was it, like 10 minutes difference between landings?" Kathleen asked.

Derek laughed. "12 to be exact, but Natalie's flight was early."

They all laughed and after having grabbed their luggage, they tracked down to where their rentals were.

"There are the two vans and the one car, but with all the luggage, it could be a tight squeeze so I can take a few people with me."

"I'm thinking that Kathleen, Nancy and me will hop in with you Der. The men won't mind," Natalie said as she nudged Cory.

Cory laughed. "Even if we did, we wouldn't have an opinion."

Stanley and Nicholas nodded in agreement.

They all got their kids settled in and packed all the bags in every possible nook and cranny and once they were sure there'd be no issues, they girls hopped into Derek's car, Natalie in the passenger seat and the other two in the back.

"Last time we were greeted at the airport in Seattle, it was for your wedding and Mark was the greeter," Natalie started. "This time, we're here for Markie's wedding and you're the one greeting. It's so crazy how things are happening."

Derek nodded. "It's incredible to think about everything that's happened or is happening. You guys will get to see for yourselves how much things here have changed," he directed mostly to Nancy and Kathleen since it had only been about a month since Natalie had been down.

"Speaking of which, how are our little niece and nephew doing?" Kathleen asked with a great big smile.

Derek couldn't help but smile in return. "Kelsey and Keegan are doing great. Growing at an incredible speed. Addison's keeping a good eye on them."

Nancy nodded. "I got her reassurance of that when they born. She didn't say much else though. How is she doing."

Derek couldn't help but laugh. He knew that Addison hadn't told his sisters much, waiting t'il they were here in Seattle before telling them everything. Even though she had seen Kathleen when she had come down after the accident, they hadn't really had the chance to talk at all and they had only seen each the once at the hospital. From what Addie had said, the most they knew was that Addison and Sam had started seeing each other. That's it.

"I'll let her tell you all about herself," he said as he winked at Natalie. She smiled, knowing that the girls knew nothing.

"How about Mark, how has he been doing since the accident?" Kathleen asked.

"Don't forget Amy and Julian," Nancy added.

"The three of them are doing just fine. Amy and Julian are back to their regular old selves. Mark has been home for about a week and a half and he seems to be handling things all right but he's still very much in recovery. Hopefully it won't be long before he's back on his feet for good."

They all nodded.

"So I also found out last week that I'm the last one to find out there's going to be another addition to the family," Nancy said as she rolled her eyes.

Derek knew for a fact that Nancy was talking about Amy and not Lexie because Lexie and Mark had decided to wait until everyone was here to tell them. Amy knew of course, along with all of their friends and family in Seattle, but they wanted to tell the Shepherds in person.

Kathleen laughed. "Last by a long shot too." Nancy rolled her eyes. "But you know and all we need to do is be there for our little sister."

The other three agreed.

"Hey, no one asked about mom," Nancy suddenly realized. "How is she doing?"

Derek sighed. "She doesn't want to admit to it, but she's absolutely exhausted. The past few weeks have been easier and I think she's starting to realize that she's been over exerting herself, but with the holidays here, she'll be back on the road to exhaustion."

Kathleen nodded. "We all have to make sure that we don't let her do everything and that we try to do as much for her as possible. We'll get the kids to help to, especially the older ones."

Everyone agreed.

"But other than that she's been doing good. It'll weird to see her go after the holidays. We're so used to having her around. I think it'll be weird on everyone, not just the family. Our friends are so used to having her around too that she'll be missed by everyone around here."

Natalie nodded, but couldn't help but feel grateful that she wouldn't be all alone anymore in New York.

After a few more minutes of discussion and catching up, they finally pulled into the long driveway that led to the house in the woods.

"Derek, wow, this place is gorgeous!"

Kathleen and Nancy got out the quickest to take it all in. The three other vehicles pulled in behind them and everyone piled out. Derek and Natalie walked towards the house and eventually everyone seemed to follow.

"I see the crowd has arrived," Meredith said as she greeted them at the door. She was smothered in hugs by all of the sisters and some of the kids. "The babies just went down for a nap but it won't be long before they're all awake and ready to meet everyone."

They walked into the living room and excitement started again at the sight of Carolyn, Mark and Addison. More hugs, laughs and kisses. Finally, Derek led the kids to the family room in the basement where there were movies and games, and in reality, the cousins were just looking to catch up amongst themselves. Kathleen took a seat on the chair next to Mark, Nancy opted to sitting with Addison and Meredith on the large couch and Natalie squished in with her mother on the love seat. The husbands, Andrew and Kristen all pulled up some chairs from the dinning area, and Carlie, who had decided to stick with the adults, sat at her mothers feet. Derek had excused himself, wanting to go do a quick visit to the hospital before settling down for the holidays with his family.

"You're looking good Mark," Kathleen said with a smile. "Much better than the last time I was here."

Mark laughed. "It's the new hairstyle."

Kathleen rolled her eyes but was glad that he was taking things so lightly. They had all been worried about what kind of condition he was going to be in but he seemed to be doing alright.

"So Addison, we haven't heard much from you since the wedding," Nancy said with a nudge. "You and the Harrington hunk still together?"

Meredith and Addison shared a smile.

"Yeah, things have been great with us. He really is the one." As she said this, she adjusted her bangs and Kathleen squealed.

"A ring! There's a ring on your left hand!"

Nancy quickly grabbed her hand to inspect the diamond. "Oh my god Addie, this is more than "things are great between us"! You're engaged damnit!"

Addison, Meredith and Natalie couldn't help but laugh. Carolyn watched the commotion with a smile.

"You!" Kathleen exclaimed as she pointed at Natalie. "You knew!"

Natalie shrugged.

"I'm the one who told them not to say anything" Addison said. "I wanted to be the one to tell you guys."

"We'll have to get to know him while we're here," Nancy stated and Addison smiled.

"He should actually be by in not too long."

"So where's the bride to be at?" Natalie asked, looking at Mark.

"At the hospital. Richard had had no issue with giving her the day off today, but just yesterday they had a patient in the ER with a crazy flu and pretty much everyone who came in contact with him is out sick today. So she was asked if she could go in and work for the day. She's going to be back for supper."

Just then, they heard the front door open and little voices make their way to the living room.

"Mommy, everyone's here!"

Kayla and Alyssa rushed into the living room to give their aunts and uncles and cousins hugs. Daniel wasn't far behind as he waddled in. Finally, Amy and Julian entered to and they were brought into many embraces of their own.

"You're looking good Amy!" Kathleen said with a wink.

Amy rolled her eyes and laughed. "I promise, I don't look this good hanging over the toilet bowl. I've never had morning sickness this bad, ever."

Nancy pulled her in for a hug. "Steven and Samuel were my worse. And I remember Meredith saying her morning sickness was pretty bad too. Maybe-"

Amy cut her off. "Don't even start," she said as she pointed her finger in her sisters face. "I am not having twins."

Everyone laughed except for Julian who suddenly had a look of fear on his face, which made the men laugh even harder.

Stanley gave him a pat on the back. "I'm here for you man."

The room was loud noisy, and full of smiling people. Meredith escaped quietly to go check up on the twins only to notice that both were wide awake.

"You guys ready to meet the rest of your family?"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"So I heard the shepherd clan has landed."

Derek turned around and laughed as Miranda Bailey approached the nurses station where Derek had just been chatting with Richard.

"Yes, Natalie, Kathleen, Nancy and all of their families arrived this morning. They're all over at the house catching up with Meredith, Mom, Mark and Addie. Amy was supposed to drop in too. I'm sure there will probably be even more people there when I get home."

They all nodded. "Probably."

"So are they all staying at your place?" Richard asked.

Derek nodded. "It's a zoo of people i can't keep track of... Natalie and Cory are staying at Amy's but Kathleen and Nancy are staying with us. Mom's staying with Mark and Lexie but they're pretty much always at our place anyway so it doesn't make that much of a difference. We've set up the basement for the girls. I think Nancy, Natalie and Amy did some trading off. Samuel and Steven are going to go stay at Amy's and Tessa and Kayla are staying with us. I'm letting them figure all of that out. Anyway, the three extra bedrooms are for Nance and Stanley, Kathleen and Nicholas and Andrew and Kristen. And there's still room so if anyone else needs a place to crash..."

Miranda and Richard laughed. "I think you're hosting enough people."

Derek nodded. "Yeah, I guess we are."

Just then Dr Lewis approached them, his focus on Derek.

"Dr Shepherd, I know you're not technically working right now, but could I maybe have you for a consult."

Derek nodded. "It's no problem at all. I'll catch up with you guys some more in the coming days."

They both nodded and waved him off.

"How have things been around here?" Derek asked as Dr Lewis led him to the scan room.

"They haven't been too bad. Yesterday's flu guy has left us short on staff but otherwise, things have been good."

They entered the room and Derek didn't need to look very long to see what Dr Lewis was working with."

"Wow, this guy really took a blow to the head."

Dr Lewis nodded a little. "Yeah, he did. I've had him as a patient for a little while and he's coming in next week for a checkup so I'll be doing some new scans, but I wanted to have an idea of what to tell him to expect for the next little while."

Derek sighed. "Well I'm going to assume that with a blow like this he was out for a little while, right?" He nodded. "He's going to definitely have a lot of short term memory loss. Mostly little things. Right now, his brain seems like it's still in a state of shock, so it's not affecting him too bad. You said you've had this patient a little while right?"

"About a month and a half."

Derek nodded. "I see. Well the injury is probably going to start really affecting him in the next month or so. It'll start to swell in order to be able to properly heal. Like I said, memory loss, probably poor motor skills and balance issues. He's also going to be tired a lot and will have some trouble organizing thoughts and mostly expressing them. His brain is in shock right now still, so he's probably not experiencing much of this, but the expression it'll get worse before it gets better really is appropriate here."

Dr Lewis nodded. "That's what I've told the patient and his partner. How long do you think before he'll be back up and to himself again?"

Derek sighed. "He'll probably never be completely back. 99% of his function will return but he might always have certain issues. Then again, what normal human doesn't? God, it'll be a good year and a half, two years before he'll be functioning to his fullest again. I feel bad for the man and his family..."

Dr Lewis nodded sadly. "Me too. Thanks a lot Dr Shepherd."

Derek gave him a curt nod as he left the room. "No problem."

Once the door had closed again, Dr Lewis let out a heavy sigh.

"Thank you for the favour."

He looked up sadly at the young doctor before him.

"Anything I could do to help... May I ask you why though? Why a consult from Dr Shepherd? I know you believed me when I told you all this so why need to hear it again."

Lexie shook her head. "I didn't need to hear it again. Derek needed to hear it."

Dr Lewis seemed confused.

"Mark... Mark won't tell anyone. Derek's the person he's closest to in the world and also the person who would medically understand what he's going through the most. I want Mark to feel comfortable telling him and I'm hoping maybe Derek will put two and two together so that Mark may not have to make the initial step. Plus, I figured that if Derek saw the scans of someone anonymous he'd accept the truth easier than if he knew that these were Mark's. He's said all of it out loud so he can't go back on it when him and Mark finally do talk about it. I want Mark to be able to tell someone before everyone figures it out for themselves."

Dr Lewis nodded. "You're one hell of a strong woman to do all of this Dr Grey. I wish the best for you and Mark and hope that this little plan of yours works."

Lexie nodded. "Me too."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

Sam pulled into the already packed Shepherd driveway. He knew that Derek's sisters and their families were arriving today but he hadn't realized that they were already here.

He unbuckled Nathaniel' carrier from it's seat and grabbed his diaper bag before making the trek up to the house. He could hear the commotion before even opening the front door. He was able to sneak in quietly and as he came into view of the living area he caught Addison's eye before anyone else had noticed his presence.

"Sam!" she exclaimed with a smile as she got up to meet him. They shared a quick kiss before she reached down and took Nathaniel out of his carrier. By this time, the room had gotten quiet and Meredith, Amy, Natalie and Mark couldn't help but laugh at the expressions on Kathleen's and Nancy's faces.

"Addie, I'm think you have some explaining to do..." Sam said with a laugh.

Addison returned to her spot next to Nancy, Nate in her arms. "Nancy, Kath, everyone... I'd like to introduce you to Nathaniel Harrington, our son."

It stayed quiet for a little longer until Nancy finally broke the silence. "I swear, i think I'd remember you being pregnant at the wedding."

Everyone else broke into an easy laugh.

"Nathaniel is our adopted son," Addison finally explained. "We had looked into adoption this summer thinking it would be years before anything came of it and, well, the end of September came and we had become parents."

"He's just precious," Kathleen gushed as she got a good look at him. "Congrats Addie. You deserved this."

She smiled in response. "Thanks."

Just then they heard the front door open and before the newly arrived was able to say anything at all, the room erupted in a choir of exclamations.

"There's our bride to be!"

Lexie was brought into a multitude of hugs and greetings. As much has she had had a long day, this many joyful people put a huge smile on her face as she realized the main reason they were all here.

"Soon Lex," Mark said with a smile as he leaned in and kissed her.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"You know you're getting old when you're baby is dating."

Everyone laughed as Kathleen finished her story about Jayden's first date. Luckily, the teenager in question was in the living room with her cousins.

"I remember when you started dating," Carolyn said.

"Carl Davis," Nancy said with a laugh. "He seemed like a great guy. Kind of nerdy, but sweet."

"Seemed?" Meredith asked. "What happened?"

"I found out after a month of dating that he had two other girlfriends, was the school's drug dealer and he was on first name basis with most of the local cops. A month after I dumped him, he was sent to juvenile hall for attempted burglary of the local jewellery shop. He had a gun. A freaking gun!"

"I'm glad you got better at picking your men as time went by," Carolyn stated as she took a sip of her wine.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Nicholas replied with a wink.

They all laughed.

"The girls wanted to finish their Christmas shopping so I promised them we'd go out tonight," Kathleen said as she glanced at her watch. "We should probably get on that before it gets too late," she directed at Nancy.

"We won't be too late," she said as she helped clear the dinner plates.

"I'm going to go with them for a little while," Carolyn added as she started loading dishes in the dishwasher. "Kathleen will run me out to your place so don't wait up for me," she said to Mark and Lexie.

"We should probably get the boys rounded too," Nicholas said Stanley. "Game starts at 7:30 and I'm sure the boys will want to get snacks before the puck drops."

"You men sure you don't want to join?"

Derek and Mark both shook their heads. "Not tonight. You guys have fun though."

It wasn't long before half of the crowd was rounded up and out the door.

"Thanks for having us over," Addie said as she helped Meredith and Natalie clean up the last of the supper remnants.

"Anytime," Meredith said with a smile.

Before long, the small family had all said their goodbyes and were gone too.

"We've got some tired ones here too," Amy said as she carried a sleeping Alyssa, followed by Julian, Daniel snuggled in his arms.

Natalie laughed as she glanced into the living room at a sleeping Ashley on the couch, and noticed that Laura wasn't far behind her.

"I think it's time we make our escape too," Cory said as he scooped up his youngest and Natalie rounded up the rest of them. "But don't worry, it'll be the crack of dawn tomorrow when we get back."

Meredith laughed. "We'll be here."

Within minutes, the large house was suddenly quiet.

"It's crazy how within half an hour, so much can change," Mark said with a smirk.

The other three nodded.

"The twins are already settled and shouldn't be up for at least a couple of hours," Meredith started. Derek gave her a wink.

"Go," he said as he looked back and forth between Meredith and Lexie. The two women were grinning.

"You sure it's -"

He cut her off with a kiss. "Two babies, two grown men. We're gonna be okay."

Mark watched questioningly as the women disappeared in the blink of an eye. "Where are they going?"

Derek smirked. "That, I can't reveal to you my brother."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"Oh Lex!"

Meredith gushed as Lexie came out of the change room, got up on the step and did a little swirl. Meredith and the seamstress ooed and ahhed at all the appropriate moments and this made Lexie laugh.

"You look stunning Lexie!"

She finally stopped and stood still, facing the two women. "Really?"

"Absolutely!"

She sighed. "Only problem is that it's tighter than it originally was and I'm afraid i'll bust open a few buttons on the back."

The seamstress shook her head. "No issue at all. We can let it out a few inches if you'd like. Where is it tight?"

She pointed to the few areas where she felt the pulling and as the professional got to work, she turned back to her sister. " I didn't think I'd put on that much in so little time that it would make such a difference! I was here not a month ago and i had made sure it was a little loose so there would be room but..."

Meredith cut her off. "You're pregnant, glowing and absolutely stunning. You're dress just accents all of that."

Lexie smiled. "Thanks Mer."

Meredith laughed. "It's what I'm here for, right?"

Lexie smirked. "That and to make sure your dress didn't need any touch ups, which, by the way, looks absolutely gorgeous on you."

Meredith looked herself up and down in the mirror and glanced back at her sister. "You have great taste, I must say. And it fits perfectly so there will be no touch ups necessary."

Lexie nodded. "Good. Molly and Izzie both are good too and Amy promised she'd slip in tomorrow after work. God, I can't believe we're almost there!"

Meredith smiled. "Well you better believe it, hun, cause in less than two weeks, you'll be Mrs Mark Sloan."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"It's been a while since the two of us have been able to sit down and chat," Derek said as he passed Mark a beer. The two men were now alone in the living room, with their only other company being Kelsey and Keegan whom were long asleep a few rooms away.

"It has, hasn't it? These past few months have been so hectic it seems. With the wedding and all these babies and pregnancies, it's been tough to just find time for this kind of bonding."

Derek laughed. "Where did the time go? It feels like just yesterday we were at our senior prom."

Mark laughed as they reminisced. "You went with Lucy Cail, the good friend because your biggest crush Jennifer Paterson had turned you down."

Derek nodded. "Yeah, and you didn't go with anyone so you could dance with all the single ladies. Then, when you thought I wasn't looking, made out with Jennifer behind the bleachers."

Mark was shocked. "You knew?"

Derek laughed. "All those months of jealousy and betrayal and I still called you my brother. I knew it wasn't the first time, or clearly the last."

"Sorry about all of them."

Derek shook it off. "As long as it's in the past and will never happen again, I'm over it."

Mark sighed in relief. "Good, and I promise, I'll be a good boy from now on."

Derek chuckled. "Fathers, Mark. That's where we are now. Fathers, husbands -"

"Almost," Mark cut him off. "On both counts."

Derek nodded. "But you know what I mean. How did we get here?"

Mark shrugged. "I don't know, but I never want to go back."

Derek took a drink. "Me neither."

There was a short silence before Derek changed topics. "How are you feeling Mark? I mean... For real. How are you?"

Mark shrugged. "I'm okay I guess. Still recovering but better than I was expecting. I'm not in constant pain if that's what you're wondering."

Derek nodded. "Good. God, Dr Lewis asked me to look over some scans today and the poor guy is a mess. One of his long term patients. He says the guy has a check-up next week and that he wanted to be able to give him an idea of what to expect. I wouldn't want to be him or his family."

He hadn't noticed Mark slouch a little as he spoke. Every word he said hit Mark and before he knew it, Mark was sobbing.

"Oh God, Mark..."

"Lexie told me to talk to you, to tell you what was going on... I couldn't. I didn't want to accept that things were going to get worse. I... I'm Dr Lewis's only long term patient. I have that check up next week. I'm the poor guy. And you're that poor guy's family Derek. I hate being weak, but I am, and I'm going to be and I admit I'm going to need help."

Derek felt his eyes get wet as he accepted what was happening. "You know we're here for you Mark. All of us."

Mark nodded. "I know, but I want to keep this quiet while things are still okay. At least until after the wedding. You... you can talk to Meredith, but the sisters and Mom and everyone else... After. Please?

Derek nodded. "Of course Mark... I completely understand."

"Thank you. I... Lexie, poor Lexie. She's been so great through all of this and I should be the one there for her right now, not the other way around. And she's... she's just so strong and not letting any of it get to her. I'm sure she's behind you finding out the way you did somehow. I don't know how she does it..."

Derek rested a hand on Mark's shoulder. "Love keeps her going. She can't give up on you. Love makes us do crazy things and keeps us alive throughout it all. She loves you and that's what truly matters."


	70. A year to remember

**Well this is it... Thank you everyone for sticking through this with me and after over three years, and fifty chapters more than I had initially planned for, this story has finally come to an end. I know that some of you had probably lost hope that we would get here, and so had I, but I didn't give up, and only because of you guys. This was my first fanfic and although I have finished others and have a few more in the works, this will always be my baby. I have a few ideas for a sequel to this one and I want your guys opinions. I don't know if it'll pan out, but if you guys are really interested, I could maybe make it work. Anything for you guys! ENJOY!**

"You may now kiss the bride."

Lexie could hear the crowd erupt into a choir of cheers behind her, but at the very moment, she was to wrapped up in Mark to notice.

Mark Sloan.

Her husband.

When they finally broke apart, Mark's smiling face told her that he was feeling the same thing as she was. Like they were floating on air.

They looked each other deep in the eyes before turning towards the crowd and their smiles grew as they saw everyone smiling back at them. Friends and family had gathered on this beautiful New Years Eve for this very moment and were glad they did. As Lexie and Mark slowly made their way back down the aisle, the cheering just intensified. Before they knew it, they had both been dragged off in opposite directions, choirs of congratulations drowning out the howling wind.

"Lexie!" Amy squealed as she wrapped her arms around the bride. "I can't believe you just married Mark Sloan! I never thought the day would come but here we are! There will be a lot of disappointed bachelorettes out there tonight..."

Lexie couldn't help but laugh, but before she knew it, she'd been grabbed by a second pair of arms.

"That was beautiful!" Izzie cried out as tears ran down her cheeks.

Lexie shook her head and laughed. "I should be the one telling you that. You've really outdone yourself on this one Izzie."

Izzie rolled her eyes but smiled. "If you must insist." Both women laughed. "I've got to say, I'm just glad the storm didn't put a damper on it."

Lexie glanced quickly out the window and noticed the cars in the parking lot were all but gone under the ever quickly pilling snow. "I agree. But it doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere soon."

"That was never the plan anyway."

They turned at the sound of the voice and Lexie pulled her sisters in for a hug.

"I couldn't imagine this day without you guys," she said as Meredith and Molly returned the gesture.

"We couldn't imagine being anywhere's else."

Before long, the entire crowd found themselves in the hall and congratulating the couple. Lexie had a hard time keeping her emotions at bay.

"Congratulations Three," Cristina said with a laugh as she brought her in for a hug. Lexie couldn't help but laugh and roll her eyes.

The Shepherd sisters weren't long before racing to bring her into their large family embrace.

"Welcome to the family!" they all exclaimed at once with a laugh.

As the crowd slowly made their way towards the ball room, she was brought in for a couple dozen more hugs.

"I'm glad you and Mark found each other," Derek said as he brought her in for a lingering hug. "You two were meant to be and I'm sorry I ever got in the way of what was bound to happen."

Lexie smiled at Derek's honesty. "If it weren't for you and putting the idea in Mark's head, we might not be here so don't apologize."

Derek laughed as he pulled away. "Nonsense. You two would have ended up together no matter what."

"You bet!"

Lexie had little time to turn around before she was brought in for another hug.

"This has been the greatest day of my life, and it's all because of you." Mark leaned down and placed a quick kiss on her forehead before grabbing his wife's hand and leading her towards the long table set at the front of the room.

"You are beautiful," Thatcher whispered in his daughter's ear as they sat down. Lexie turned towards her dad and noticed right away the tears building in his eyes.

"Oh dad," she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Your father's right," Carolyn said with a smile across Mark. "The two of you are breathtaking. The entire day has been... amazing. I'm glad Markie found you hun. We are all blessed to have you in the family."

"Thank you so much Carolyn, for accepting me so graciously."

Carolyn shook her head. "I believe that we had a deal young lady!"

Lexie laughed. "Thank you, Mom."

Carolyn smiled. "That's better!"

Lexie turned back towards her father.

"All my girls are all grown up..."

Lexie glanced over to Meredith and Molly, Meredith rocking Kelsey and Molly helping Laura tuck a napkin into her dress to avoid a mess. She smiled.

"We'll always be your little girls dad."

He smiled. "That's what I want to hear."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The weeks leading up to the wedding had been hectic. Hectic, yet the best weeks in both Meredith and Lexie's lives. Christmas had been the most magical celebration any of them had lived, and that was mostly due to the Shepherd family.

_Meredith had never been much of a holiday celebrator. Her Christmases weren't usually any different than every other day, but she knew this year would be different. _

_It wasn't even 7 o'clock when they heard a light knocking at their door. _

_"Uncle Derek? Auntie Meredith?"_

_Alyssa stood in the doorway, a smile on her face. _

_Derek laughed. "Get over here!"_

_She laughed and hopped onto the bed, giving both occupants great big hugs before exclaiming. "Merry Christmas!"_

_It was mere seconds later that they heard Amy calling softly for her daughter. "Alyssa? Where are you? You better not-"_

_They heard her pause outside of their bedroom before she peered into the already open doorway._

_"Oh! Derek, Meredith, I'm so sorry! The kids were just so excited to be spending Christmas morning with everyone that they insisted we come over. We tried keeping them at my place a little longer but as soon as Nancy called, there was no way convincing them that-"_

_Derek cut her off with a chuckle. "Amy, it's absolutely fine. We weren't expecting to be able to sleep in anyway."_

_Just as he said it, there was a cry over the baby monitor and Meredith laughed as she got up. "That would be my cue to leave."_

_Derek and Alyssa also got up, but headed towards the living room instead. "You look exhausted already," he said to Amy as soon as Alyssa had run to join her cousins. "What time were you up?"_

_Amy laughed. "4:30."_

_"God, I'm not looking forward to those days."_

_Amy shook her head. "No, the kids were quiet until about 5:30. All of last nights snacks however weren't quite as settled this morning."_

_Derek nodded as he understood. "The ever amazing wonders of morning sickness."_

_"Gotta love 'em"_

_They joined the rest of the family as the younger ones began the gift deliveries. _

_Derek was surprised to see his mother, Lexie and Mark amongst the crowd already. When they noticed his puzzled stare, Lexie laughed. "Let's just say I suffered the same fate as Amy this morning."_

_It was as if in all the noisiness that was Christmas morning, the entire room went quiet after Lexie's unknowing confession. _

_"Did you just say what I think you just said...?" Natalie wasn't afraid to ask._

_Lexie quickly glanced towards Mark who simply smiled brightly._

_"Another Shepherd on the way? I think so! Merry Christmas everyone!"_

_There was a choir of squeals and congratulations as everyone squeezed the couple for more details. _

_The gift giving continued, but the best gifts had been saved for last. _

_"Mark! A week in the Bahamas?" Lexie exclaimed. "I... this is..."_

_"It's for our honeymoon," he said as he winked towards Amy. "You know, the one you and Amy were planning on going on...?"_

_Lexie and Amy both rolled their eyes. "Are you sure you'll be..." she trailed, knowing that Mark didn't want to get into the details of his condition. _

_Derek took this opportunity to speak up. "He should be just fine," he assured her. Although everyone in the room thought they were talking about if he would be recovered by then, Derek, Lexie and Mark knew it was whether he'd be getting worse by then. Derek gave a small nod as to assure them they were on the same page. _

_"We've got one more big gift!" Meredith exclaimed, knowing that by the looks on her husbands and sisters faces, they needed a distraction. She picked up the small envelope hidden in the branches of the tree and passed it to Carolyn. _

_"For me?" Carolyn asked, a little shocked._

_Derek smiled at the expression on his mother's face. "It's from Meredith, the kids and I. It's also kind of an apology for all of the Christmases I've missed."_

_She opened it but found nothing but two keys. _

_"I'm confused..."_

_Derek and Meredith exchanged a quick look before turning back to look at all the awaiting faces. _

_"Follow us."_

_When they headed upstairs, their company grew even more curious but followed without asking any questions. Once they reached the office, they motioned for everyone to approach the large windows. _

_"We would have liked to bring you outside, but it's quite chilly so we'll wait until next time we head out to show you up close."_

_"Derek..." Carolyn mumbled, "I don't understand."_

_"Look out towards the cliff and the edge of the woods, what do you see?" Meredith asked, pointing her in the right direction._

_"Oh my goodness!" Carolyn exclaimed. "A cabin? These are the keys to a cabin?"_

_Meredith and Derek laughed as everyone got a quick look. "It's our guest house," Derek explained, "and it's available for all of you if ever you want to visit, but..."_

_"...but Mom gets top priority," Meredith finished with a laugh. "And there's a room in it that's only hers. That's what the second key is. One for the cabin, one for your private room."_

_Carolyn was in tears. "I can't believe... Thank you, so much." _

_"Nothing but the best for Mom."_

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The rest of the holiday had been filled with laughing, smiling, food and lots of caroling. Lexie smiled as she thought of the Shepherd kids singing in the hospital. They had volunteered to go room to room caroling for all of those who would be spending their holiday season in a hospital bed.

"What are you thinking about?" Mark asked as he glanced over at his bride, noticing the wide smile on her face.

"I'm just thinking that this has been the best Christmas of my entire life."

Mark smiled. "Mine too."

"Can I have everyone's attention?"

Everyone shifted their gaze towards Derek, who was currently the only one standing, taping his glass for effect. When the room fell quiet, he cleared his throat. "My goal tonight was to beat Izzie in starting speeches." Everyone in the room laughed. "Now that I have accomplished that, I'd just like to start off by saying that after having spoken to the bride earlier this evening, I have come to terms with accepting that I did have a part in the beginning of this relationship. I told Mark to go no where near Lexie, and as always, he did the exact opposite of what I told him." This earned another laugh. "But for once, I'm glad he did because it is clear that they were meant to be together, no matter the odds that may have been stacked against them, no matter the battles they had to face, no matter the broken limbs they had to suffer," Lexie went extremely red at the comment, knowing Derek was talking about Mark's hand but as she looked at Mark, she knew that between the two of them, they were thinking of a very different damaged body part, "they made it through and are here with us today. They've gone through hell together, yet they are still standing, stronger than ever. Just a few months ago, we weren't sure if we would be here today." He took a deep breath. "However, deep down I knew that Mark could never leave anyone behind, not in the face of death, not even in the face of a threatening and angry Grey sister," he said this as he glanced towards Meredith, who simply laughed. "So, here's a toast to not only the new couple, but to family. As untraditional and confusing as ours may be, we've always got each others backs and that's what counts."

As Derek took a seat, others, turn by turn took a moment to speak about the couple and everything that came to mind when they saw the two of them.

"Mark clearly could never take a hint," Meredith said, referring to Derek's comments earlier.

"Markie said he's never settle down," Carolyn reminisced. "I told him if he wanted to stay in the Shepherd's good graces, he better find himself a woman, put a ring on her finger and make me some more grand babies." This made everyone laugh, all while not revealing that he had come true to everyone of those conditions.

"She may be my older sister, but we always felt more like best friends than siblings," Molly stated. "We didn't fight often enough, although Dad may say differently..."

"From the first time I saw Lexie and Mark together, I knew that Markie had found his one and done," Amy said with a smile. "His ego may be big, but his heart is even bigger and I'm glad he's settling down with a woman who I've seen as a sister since that first meet."

The words that had hit closest to home were however her fathers. "I am so very proud to be here and to share this day with all of you, but there's someone who deserves to be here even more." Lexie knew right away where this was going and she couldn't help the buildup of tears. "If it weren't for your mother Lexie, you wouldn't be the woman you are today, and I know she's watching down on us, smiling at you and threatening Mark here that if he ever hurts you..." Lexie laughed a little as she knew just how true his words were.

The chatter continued all through super and before they knew it, it was time for the first dance.

"I'd like to personally invite the newlyweds to the dance floor for their first dance," Derek said in the DJ's mic, a naughty look in his eye. "This ones for the lovely couple."

Lexie couldn't help but burst out laughing when Love Story burst through the speakers. "I don't remember this being the song we picked out."

Mark shook his head, but couldn't hide the smirk. "I should have guessed something like this would have happened."

They continued to dance and watched as other couples joined them on the dance floor.

"I wonder if there will be another engagement tonight," Lexie said and Mark chuckled.

"I haven't been approached, you?"

Lexie shook her head. "Nope, guess I'll have to through the bouquet and find out."

Mark smiled. "There may not be another engagement, but your dad and my mom seem to be snuggling up to each other.

Lexie had never turned so quickly in her life, catching a glimpse of her father and Carolyn, dancing and laughing not far from them. She turned back to Mark.

"You don't think...?"

Mark shrugged, but had an glint in his eye. "We already are apart of quite the family... If you really think about it..."

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

"The babies are settled," Meredith said as she and Addison returned to their partners. The men had been sitting with the other men who still hadn't found the balls to ask their wives, fiancés or girlfriends to dance.

"I guess that leaves us no more excuses," Derek said as he gave Sam a tap on the back. Both men held out their hands to their women and brought them out to the dance floor.

"You realize we have the greatest nieces in the world, right?"

Meredith nodded. "Those girls are amazing. They must be watching at least ten kids. But I trust them whole heartedly. We'll have to make sure we leave them an enormous tip."

Derek laughed as he gave his wife a quick kiss. "There's no doubt there."

The two fell into a comfortable silence.

Across the room, Jackson held Cristina tightly as he laughed.

"So I've been a little klutzy since the broken leg," Cristina said with a giggle. "Does that mean you won't love me anymore?"

Jackson laughed even harder. "I think I love you even more. You just admitted a fault."

Cristina rolled her eyes.

"Before you know it, we'll be the ones exchanging vows."

Cristina looked up into Jackson's eyes. "It's hard to believe everything that has happened this past year."

"Hard to believe, maybe, and although it's been one hell of a roller coaster ride, by the looks on everyone's faces, I'd say we aren't the only ones who are where they want to be."

Cristina smiled as Jackson leaned down and left her with a quick kiss.

Richard smiled as he stole a quick glance at his son.

"He's quite the young man, that one," Adele said, bringing his attention back to his wife. "He reminds me more and more of you everyday."

Richard nodded. "God, this time last year he was nothing more than just another one of the doctors who had transferred over from Mercy West. What were the chances?"

Adele smiled. "Fate has a funny way of throwing us in the right direction at times, doesn't it?"

Richard nodded. "That it does."

Addison and Sam watched as the older couple shared a quick kiss.

"I want us to be like them when we're that age," Sam confessed as he pulled Addison closer.

Addison nodded. "I know what you mean." She paused. "Minus the you having an affair and finding out you have a son years down the road, got it?"

Sam nodded. "Got it. Besides, I have the most incredible son in the world already. And I don't need anyone else besides you and him."

"You really know how to flatter a woman, don't ya?"

The two laughed as they glanced over towards where the few kids that were still up were dancing.

"All these weddings make me wonder if I'll ever get married someday," Kayla said, a dreamy look on her face.

"That means you have to kiss a boy," Stephanie said, and they both cringed at the thought.

"It can't be all bad though. My mommy and daddy seem to like kissing. And your mom and Finn too," Kayla said with a giggle as she pointed towards the couple in question, who were in fact kissing.

"Yeah, but they're _adults_. They're allowed to kiss without getting cooties."

Suddenly, Stephanie felt a tap on her shoulder. When she turned around, Ben, one of Natalie's boys was holding out his hand.

"Do... do you wanna dance... with me?"

Finn couldn't help but chuckle when he noticed the youngsters across the room. "It looks like your daughter is no longer afraid of boy cooties."

Catherine turned quickly and smiled as she saw her daughter dancing with the young boy. "That is adorable," she squealed.

"Tell me about it," Natalie said, her and Cory dancing just a few feet away. "Who knows, someday we could be in-laws!"

The four of them laughed.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. There are plenty of weddings between now and then to worry about."

"Weddings and babies!" Natalie squealed as she looked towards her sister.

Amy and Julian were quiet. Both were exhausted by the days events and worried they wouldn't make it to midnight.

"Do you think anyone would notice if we were to escape early?" Amy asked as a yawn escaped her lips.

Julian laughed. "As much as I'd love to say no, you are a bridesmaid, therefore your disappearance would probably be noticed." He checked his watch. "It's almost midnight. Just another half hour, and I promise we'll head to bed."

The same promise was being made on the other side of the room. "We can last til midnight Miranda, you'll see. Before you know it, it'll be the New Year and we can kick it off with a good night's sleep."

Miranda moaned. "You have no idea how good that sounds right now."

Ben laughed. "Clearly not. How are you feeling?"

Miranda shrugged. "The holiday morning sickness seems to have taken it's toll on me. Amy, Lexie and Teddy all have had the same problem. I think it must be something we ate at the hospital Christmas party."

Ben laughed again. "I wouldn't doubt it."

"But other than that, I've been feeling wonderful. Today was great, and although Lexie wasn't one of my interns, I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Grey's," she said, glancing over at the Grey in question.

"Lexie Grey-Sloan," Thatcher whispered as he danced with his daughter. "You're all grown up..."

Lexie giggled. "That's got to be the fifteenth time you've said that tonight!"

Thatcher chuckled. "I know, but it's true... And now you've got a baby on the way too and... It's just all so crazy!"

Lexie smiled. "Speaking of crazy... You and Carolyn seemed quite cozy earlier... You don't happen to have the hots for my mother-in-law do you?"

Thatcher's horrified look made Lexie laugh even harder. "Alexandra Grey, did you just..."

"May I cut in?"

Thatcher turned to face his son-in-law and nodded quickly, leaving Lexie giggling.

"What was that about?" Derek asked as he danced with Lexie.

She continued giggling. "I think there's something going on between your mom and my dad."

Derek joined in on the laughter. "I hate to say this, but I agree."

"What do we do?"

Derek glanced over at his mother who was currently dancing with her grandkids and smiled. "I think we let fate decide."

"Is it just me or do you feel like we've been excluded from a really good joke?" Meredith asked Mark as she glanced over at her husband and her sister.

Mark shook his head as he twirled her. "Nah, I know exactly what the joke is about."

Meredith gave him a look, as if saying 'go on'.

"We suspect there's something going on between mom and your dad."

Meredith giggled. "There is definitely something going on. I brought up his name the other day when the girls and I were talking about the singles at the wedding and Mom blushed! Like a little schoolgirl. The others didn't notice, but I sure did."

Mark laughed along, until he felt Meredith let go and another pair of arms snake around him from behind.

"It's almost midnight," his wife whispered in his ear.

He turned around and headed towards the small DJ stage where the couple was to do the countdown.

"What a year," Derek said as he wrapped his arms around Meredith's waist.

It had been quite the year. Between the house, the twins, finding her brother, getting married, discovering a whole new family, real and fake, the mothers house, the surprises, visiting New York, her blossoming friendships, the support, the tears, the fears, the hard times and the most amazing moments of her life, it had been a year full of a whirlwind of emotions. She didn't remember ever living quite anything like it before.

_10_

_9_

_8_

She glanced up at the newlyweds and thought of all the relationships that had come about in the past year. Strong and certainly long lasting relationships. She glanced at Cristina and Jackson, Addison and Sam, Catherine and Finn, Miranda and Ben... She also thought of the saved relationships. Richard and Adele, Izzie and Alex... And the possible ones to come. Carolyn and Thatcher seemed awfully close all of a sudden...

_7_

_6_

_5_

She thought of the twins, sleeping just down the hall and of all the others that were coming. Babies, families and certainly more incredible weddings. All of the things that they had sworn would never happen were happening and she would never change that.

_4_

_3_

_2_

The New Year was just around the corner and she knew that there would probably be more heartache and tears, but more importantly that the joys to come were unlimited. They were all where they wanted to be. Happy and glad to be a part of something so amazing.

_1_

As the crowd erupted in a loud Happy New Year, Meredith turned to Derek and they shared their first kiss of the year, along with the numerous other couples around the room.

She had had the most incredible year of her life, but she was determined to make this one even better.

**THE END !**


End file.
